Total Drama High School
by Blazerxz
Summary: Before TDWT, Chris hosts a season with 12 Veterans and 12 Rookies at an abandoned high school! Day 17 is here! The remaining contestants have an optional immunity challenge based around a typical high school event: A Talent Show! Which teens will showcase their talents? And better yet, what will those talents be?
1. Chapter 1: Obnoxious Orientation

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or any of the characters from the show. I only own my own OC's

* * *

A man no older than 30, with a blue shirt, perfectly gelled hair and a pearly white smile was standing in front of a crappy, run-down high school smiling for a video camera before saying, "Welcome viewing world, I am Chris McClain. Welcome to a new season of Total Drama, Total Drama High School! We brought back twelve of the old contestants who we thought would make High School dramatic! In addition to them, we have twelve new contestants signed up for this season! During this season we are going to test their academic abilities in numerous challenges based off of school subjects, like biology and history. We told them that the winner would receive half a million bucks, but we didn't tell them that the winner also receives a college scholarship, since our contestants are in their junior year of high school. I see one of the buses pulling up in the distance! Oh, and just for fun, some of the contestants were separated on the bus. For the most part, they don't know who else is competing this season."

A standard yellow school bus pulls up to the sidewalk and six of the returning campers get out. The first contestant was a girl with pale skin, black hair with turquoise highlights, and an all black wardrobe. "Gwen nice to see you again," Chris calmly said.

The Goth rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever."

The second contestant had her dark hair in a ponytail, and her shirt was cream-colored with a picture of what appeared to be a tangerine. She then said, "Yo, what's up, Leshawna in the house!"

"Hey Leshawna, what's new," Gwen asked her friend.

Leshawna responded, "Not much girl, glad to see I'll be able to tolerate someone here."

The third contestant was wearing a yellow shirt with a handprint on it and had his black hair in an elvis-esque style. He also had a guitar case strapped to his back. "Trent welcome back," the host greeted the musician.

"Glad to be back, Chris," Trent responded.

The next veteran contestant was wearing a light blue hoodie and had her blond hair in a ponytail. Gwen and Leshawna both exclaimed, "Bridgette!" The surfer ran up and hugged her two friends.

The next contestant then exited the bus. He was wearing a cowboy hat and had a pink, unbuttoned shirt on. He then exclaimed, "Party on, dudes!"

Trent walked over to the party boy and greeted him with a fist bump saying, "Hey Geoff, how's it been?"

The exuberant party boy shouted, "Trent dude! It's been awesome dude!"

Chris walked over to Geoff and said, "You okay man? By now you would be sucking face with Bridgette."

A sarcastic voice from the bus said, "What do you think they did the entire ride?" The final occupant of the bus had brown hair, and was wearing a blue shirt with a red sweater vest.

"Welcome back to the actual competition, Noah," Chris greeted the know-it-all.

"This poor excuse for a building is definitely better than being at the aftermath studio," Noah responded sarcastically.

The driver, a large teenager with a white shirt with a maple leaf symbol on it stepped off and asked, "Hey Chris, you going to need my help today?"

"Nah, just park the bus over there Owen." When he started getting blank stares from the six competitors so far, Chris said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Owen, Duncan, Katie, Sadie and Beth are going to be helping out this year as interns, doing any job that needs to be done. Think of them as Chef, only you guys like them."

A second bus pulled up in front of the contestants. The doors opened and a girl with tan skin, brown hair, a brown shirt, and olive green pants exited the vehicle. "Ah, Courtney glad you could make it."

The C.I.T. rolled her eyes and responded, "Like I had a choice. My lawyers quit after I lost last season." As Courtney glanced at the competition that already arrived, her eyes narrowed and rested on Gwen and Courtney said, "Well, if it isn't Gwen, here to steal my boyfriend?"

"No, even though he would be better if he were with me," Gwen said.

"Watch yourself Gwen," Courtney said before the next competitor exited the bus. She was tall, and of Asian descent. She had a small amount of black hair tied into a ponytail.

Gwen notices the hairdo and calls out, "Nice ponytail Heather! What's it made of, horse hair?"

Heather angrily said, "Yeah, right weird goth girl. My hair finally started to grow back after that incident in season one."

The third contestant to exit this bus didn't use the door, but jumped out the window. As she did so, she fell flat on her face. The redheaded girl picked herself up off the ground and dusted off her skirt that appeared to be made out of grass. "Izzy, everybody's favorite psycho, welcome back," Chris said.

"Hey, Chris! Oh, wow this school reminds me of the time I was playing in this abandoned building, and on the ground floor were some explosives. I started playing with them, and then ran, because they became active so I ran across the freeway and then the building blew up! I'm guessing some construction guys were upset, because it had to be imploded or something but now that town's police won't let me back in." Several teens, including Heather and Courtney shook their heads at the crazy girl.

The next contestant was African-Canadian, had a green shirt with a D on it and a white skull cap. Geoff shouted out, "All right, what's up, DJ dude?"

The teen, now confirmed as DJ shared a fist bump with Geoff and said, "Not much man, what's new?"

"Hey guys lets pay a little more attention to me," Chris said with all the sadism in the world. The 11th veteran that exited the bus was short, had brown hair, had a gap in his teeth and walked out smirking at all the girls.

"Hello ladies," he said in his most suave voice possible, which wasn't very suave at all.

Heather smirked evilly and yelled, "Hey Noah! Looks like your boyfriend is here!"

"Ha ha, Heather you are so funny," Noah sarcastically remarked as he tried to forget about what happened season one.

"Cody, get any girls yet dude," Chris asked the most recent person who exited the bus, now confirmed to be Cody.

"No not yet," the geek replied. He then proceeded to stand next to Gwen. "So Gwen," Cody said, "Now that you broke up with Trent, you think maybe we can go out sometime?"

Gwen turned to Cody and said, "Look, Cody, I know we're friends and you have a crush on me, but it's too soon after Trent. I'm not ready to have a boyfriend again. Maybe after the season ends, I'll think about it." Cody, while smiling a little less, still seemed pretty perky.

Talking could be heard from the bus and a girl with a green shirt, pink pants, glasses, and a side ponytail came into view. "Come on, you gotta get off the bus so the competition can start," the girl said.

A second voice, this one more masculine, said, "No way Beth. I knoo you were able to forgive me, but they won't eh."

Chris getting impatient said, "If you don't get off that bus, Zeke, its instant elimination for you! No chance at the half a million bucks or the second secret prize."

Noah glanced over at Chris, intrigued and said, "There's a second prize?"

The final teen reluctantly got off the bus. He was wearing a grey colored hoodie and was wearing a gray and blue toque. As soon as he got off the bus, all of the girls started glaring at the boy. "Look, I'm soory for what I said on the first day, eh. I'm not home-schooled anymore. I knoo better. Please forgive me," Ezekiel said.

Many of the girls ignored his apology and continued glaring. Izzy, however simply said, "Okay! I can't stay mad at my Zeke forever anyways." The crazy girl picked up the home-schooled boy and ran away from the rest of the girls to protect him.

Chris smiled at the twelve veteran contestants and said, "Well, seeing as so much drama has unfolded so far, I'm going to let you all use the restroom confessional and then when you're all done, we can meet the rookies."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: Ugh, I can't believe Courtney is giving me attitude just because Duncan and I are friends. So now, I pretty much have two enemies. Well, at least I have my friends. I should have told Cody that I'm just not that interested in him, but he was one of the people who were nice to me after the whole Trent ordeal.

Cody: Awesome! Gwen said she might go out with me after the season ended! Then if I won, I would be the happiest guy ever! (Starts playing a little air guitar)

Ezekiel: I really wish the girls would accept my apology. I doon't knoo how many times I said sorry. This season's gonna suck, eh.

Bridgette: I really should accept Ezekiel's apology. I mean, he really has changed, and it's hard for me to hold a grudge. For some reason, I can't forget about how angry I was, and I don't like feeling this way.

Noah: Chris is either secretly brilliant or pretty stupid. What was he thinking, bringing Gwen, Heather, and Courtney together? Or Ezekiel? Still, it's lucky he brought me here, since I am the smartest of all of the contestants. I mean, even fan sites and the Total Drama web site label me as 'The High IQ'.

Izzy: This season, Izzy won't need to return to competition, because she will go all the way! Also, I will try to get the others to forgive my Zeke! Too bad Big O isn't here, that would make the season even better.

Heather: Gwen better watch out. They all better watch out. I'm going to go back to playing this game like how I did back during season one. And I will go all the way.

Geoff: I'm back dudes! This time, me and my girl Bridge will go all the way! We are gonna rock! Too bad for Zeke dude, though. Hopefully he can make friends with the new kids, 'cause I don't think most girls will forgive him anytime soon.

Trent: Does it hurt to be competing with Gwen? Not really, since we aren't dating, we can not worry about the competition getting between us. We're just friends and I'm okay with that.

Courtney: Gwen had better watch out! I know she wants to steal Duncan and I won't let her do that! Ezekiel had better watch out too! I haven't forgotten about why we eliminated him. I know he says he's sorry, but he's going to show me he's sorry before I even think of forgiving him.

Leshawna: Courtney and Heather better not think of messing with Gwen! If they do, they are gonna have to answer to me!

DJ: I'm glad to be competing again, and this time, no illegal alliances. I feel a little sorry for Zeke; I mean I can never be mad at anyone for more than a couple days, and I think the girls should give him a chance to redeem himself.

* * *

The first bus of new arrivals and the third bus overall stopped in front of Chris. The narcissistic host said, "Alright, everybody welcome Joseph!"

Joseph was very tall, had short brown hair, and wore a black short sleeved t-shirt with a pair of grey shorts.

He smiled at the veteran contestants and said, "Hello, it will be a pleasure competing against you all." The tall overachiever went to stand over by the remaining contestants.

The second contestant from the third bus had golden-blonde hair and was holding a guitar case. She was wearing skinny jeans and a blue shirt with green stripes on the sleeves. Chris then announced, "This is Jennifer!"

Jennifer greeted the contestants, "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you all." She went to stand next to Trent.

Trent then said, "You play the guitar too? Nice."

She smiled and said, "Thanks. I actually was hoping I could meet you. I think you are really nice and extremely talented. Gwen was lucky to have been going out with you."

The musician smiled, "You think so? You know, you're really nice too."

As the two continued talking, Gwen was smiling very slightly. The third contestant emerged from the bus. He was a tall Hispanic teen, with his hair in what appeared to be a mini-afro. He wore a blue short-sleeve shirt and jeans. "Hey, I'm Alexander," the teen said as he leaned against a tree while the fourth person got off the bus.

The fourth contestant was a short, slightly chubby girl, who was wearing a dark pink shirt and black shorts that contrasted with her brown hair. When she stood near the other competitors, she was smiling and said, "Hi, I'm Julie. I can't wait to compete with you all. Well all except one of you." As Julie said her final statement she glared at Heather, the queen bee returning the glare. Julie then went right back to smiling.

"Now, let's welcome Nicholas," the host said as a boy with brown hair and wearing a white shirt and jeans covered in oil stains emerged from the vehicle.

"Hey guys what's up? I'm pretty psyched to be here," Nicholas said as he received fist bumps from many of the guys.

The final competing occupant of the bus was a short girl with dark brown hair and was wearing a green and white striped shirt and jeans. "Hi, I'm Jessie. Nice to meet you," the girl said. She was shaking slightly due to Courtney and Heather intimidating her.

The driver of the bus then stepped out for a second. He was wearing a black shirt with an image of a skull on it and he had a Mohawk dyed a bright green. As he got off, Courtney ran up to him and said, "Duncan! What are you doing here?"

The punk smirked and said, "Chris hired me as an intern. Didn't he tell you?" Courtney turned her head and glared at Chris.

Duncan turned her head back towards him and started leaning in for a kiss when Chris interrupted him saying, "Duncan, you got work to do! Kiss your girlfriend on your own time!"

"This bites," the punk said as he went back to the bus. Before he got on, he turned around and said, "See you tonight babe."

"Only if you're lucky," the CIT said.

"I'm feeling lucky," was the last thing Duncan said before he proceeded to start the bus and drive away.

The final bus arrived and the first person off was a chubby girl who wore a pink shirt and pink shorts. Her outfit was the same as the driver, who was a tan skinny girl. "Sadie what do you think you are doing," Chris yelled at the chubbier girl. He continued ranting, "You shouldn't have even gotten off until the contestants got off, and that's if you had to get off!" Sadie then fell to her knees and started to cry. The tan skinny girl then left the bus to comfort Sadie, but before doing that Chris yelled, "Katie, you can't leave yet either!" Katie then glared at the host. "Get back on the-," Chris started to shout until Katie delivered a kick to the one place a guy doesn't want to be kicked.

Chris held his crotch and doubled over in pain as a voice from the bus said, "I guess we introduce ourselves." A boy with brown hair wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Sonic the Hedgehog and a pair of black shorts emerged from the vehicle. "I'm Mikey. This is going to be awesome competing with all of you," the teen said.

A very short girl followed Mikey off the bus. She had brown hair as well, but was wearing a white shirt with a polka-dot pattern and a black pair of pants that showed how slender her legs were. Her shirt was just small enough so that is could adequately show off her assets, which rivaled Lindsay's. The girl introduced herself while staring in Cody's general direction, "Hi, I'm Emily."

Another male exited the bus. He was Asian and he was wearing a white karate outfit and had a black belt wrapped around his waist. He was also wearing a headband that had some Chinese characters written on it. "Greetings, I am Danny. I hope I will compete with honor and valor against you," the honorable teen said.

A blonde haired girl then joined the competitors. She was wearing a light blue tank top and a pair of skinny jeans. Her tank top, like Emily's shirt, was just tight enough so it could show off her assets, though they were about the same size as Courtney's. She smiled at her competition and said, "Hello, I'm Megan. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

The final male to compete stepped off the bus. His brown hair was very long, and he was wearing jeans and a black tee shirt that read "Coast Guard Academy" across the front. "Hey guys I'm William. This is going to be fun. Or chaotic. I'm kind of hoping it'll be chaotic," William said.

Izzy ran forward and started to jump up and down in front of William while saying, "Ooh, chaotic! Izzy likes the new kid!"

The last girl walked off the bus while looking at a manga book. Her hair was brown with blonde highlights in the front and she was wearing jeans and a shirt that showed a picture of an anime character. She looked up at the people staring at her and said, "Oops, sorry. My name is Rebecca. I am an otaku."

Courtney just asked, "A what?"

"An otaku is a person who enjoys reading manga and watching anime as a hobby," Alexander remarked. He then got confused stares from many contestants and he said, "What? I was a junior ambassador to Japan a couple of years ago. It's pretty hard to travel around Japan without knowing Japanese."

Joseph looked at the host lying on the ground in pain and said, "So now what?"

"I suppose you rookies could use the confessional and hopefully Chris will be mostly recovered by the time you all finish in there," Courtney suggested.

"Sounds good," said Mikey.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Julie: So this is what it's like to be on Total Drama. It's interesting, but a little too crazy for my tastes. I've been here for ten minutes and Chris was kicked in the groin, Chris made a girl cry, and Izzy made a new friend, which knowing her, it can't be good.

Alexander: Yeah, so I'm here. Its okay, I guess. If I can make my way to the money, then that would be even better. But I don't know if I could handle a challenge every day.

Rebecca: (She is reading a manga book with a picture of a ninja dressed in orange on the front and the title 'Naruto' before she speaks to the camera) Sorry about that, I was just trying to finish the chapter. Anyways, I plan on using all the skills I learn from my manga and anime to help me make it to the end and win this contest. Nothing can get in my way! (She then picks the book back up and begins reading it some more before the video feed ends.)

William: This looks so epic guys. Total Drama looks cool on TV, but it is so much cooler in person. It's like the guy who would start a new fad at school. He would become cooler than anyone else in school until the next guy comes along.

Mikey: (He is looking around the confessional and talking at the same time) I can't believe I'm here on Total Drama. I was always a huge fan and now being on the show is something else. (He then looks straight at the camera) Even though I'm a huge fan, I'm not one of those super stalker types. There's this one girl that has at least a dozen blogs and she just screams stalker. What was her name again? Serena? **[1]** I don't know, but the point is I'm not that type. I'm like the guy who would buy a videogame the day it came out, which I have done before. I'm just a regular person who happens to be a big fan.

Jennifer: This is one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I got to meet my favorite contestant, Trent, and become friends with him. Who knows, maybe this girl will even become Trent's next girlfriend. I can only hope.

Megan: This looks like it could be fun. I certainly hope it is. Who knows, I may even find love on this show. It doesn't seem so strange, because if this show made Duncan and Courtney into a couple, anything can happen.

Joseph: Let me get something straight right now. I intend to win and I won't let anyone get in my way. I don't want to be considered a villain, but at times I may be ruthless and if being called a villain by viewers at home is the price to pay for winning this contest, so be it.

Nicholas: I gotta say, being a person of street smarts, the odds are against me, but I'm sure that as long as I stay focused, I can make it far.

Emily: It's pretty cool being on this show. I get to see Cody, which is a plus for me because I am a part of his fan base. I don't know if he would like me or not, but I can admire him, right?

Danny: Would I like to win? Yes, but my main priority is to maintain honor in this competition and that means targeting those who are dishonorable. It will be a tough struggle, but one that I must undertake.

Jessie: This is interesting. I enjoyed talking to some of the other competitors on the bus and I think I will be good friends with Nicholas, Jennifer and Julie. Between you and me, I'm a little scared of Joseph's steely determination.

* * *

After all of the rookie contestants used the confessional, they stood around and talked for a minute or two until Chris finally was able to pick himself up off the ground. After glancing over to where the buses had arrived and seeing no sign of the Wonder Twins, he began addressing the contestants, "Well now that everyone is here, and I feel slightly better, it's time to officially start this competition. It's time to start with some simple rules. First off, at the end of every challenge the contestants who did not receive immunity will be able to ponder over their choice of whom they would like to vote for. The contestant with the highest number of votes will not receive a hall pass and will be forced to walk down the hall of shame and ride the bus of losers, where you will not be able to return, ever! Courtney you have a question?"

The CIT, while pointing to Izzy asked, "What about when Izzy returned the last two seasons? Or Eva and Owen season one and two respectively? You said one could never return in those seasons."

"This time I mean it. We were only able to rent this place out for so long," the host answered.

"People actually attend school here," Noah asked incredulously.

Chris flashed his perfect smile and said, "No, this place is going to be demolished. We were able to rent out a place that was scheduled to be demolished for less money than a place that will still be standing at summer's end." The contestants shared nervous glances at one another. Chris resumed speaking saying, "Now all of the contestants who aren't eliminated at day's end will return to the lodging of the season: the cheap motel that we took all your bags to. Every contestant has their own room. I would say that you can't share rooms, but legal says we can't record what goes on in the rooms, so if you're going to share a room, tell me so I can… yes Geoff?"

The party boy told Chris, "Me and Bridge are sharing a room!" Bridgette giggled somewhat embarrassingly but didn't object to Geoff's request.

The host smirked at the couple and said, "I saw that one coming, anyone else want to share a room?" The rest of the contestants remained silent. Chris resumed his speech saying, "Anyways, tell me if you want to change rooms blah blah blah. I don't have to tell you about the confessional since you know how it works. So today's challenge will be based on Orientation!" The disgruntled groans from all twenty-four students showed their discontent for the topic at hand. "For today's challenge I will divide you into teams of four. From now until 12:30, you will get to know your teammates. Suffice to say, the rookies have it harder than the veterans. Anyways, walk around the school, learn where rooms are located. Some challenges will take place in a specific classroom. For example, the chemistry challenge will take place in the chemistry lab. I digress, at 12:30 lunch will be served by our resident chef, Chef Hatchet, and following lunch will be a quiz show type challenge where each contestant will be asked questions about their teammates. The two lowest scoring teams will have to eliminate somebody. I'll go into detail about the quiz later. The teams are only temporary, in fact, each challenge the teams will be different, and sometimes you can choose your teammates. Team one is comprised of Bridgette, Cody, Alexander, and Emily. Team two will be Noah, Leshawna, Nicholas, and Jessie. The third team is made up of DJ, Gwen, Mikey, and Julie. Team number four is Trent, Izzy, William, and Jennifer. The fifth team shall be Ezekiel, Courtney, Danny, and Megan. By default, team six is Geoff, Heather, Joseph, and Rebecca. Now, I wasted enough time so you guys better get cracking on the challenge. When 12:30 rolls around, I will make an announcement. Until then stir up some drama because the audience eats it up.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I watched the first two seasons of Total Drama, so I know all about DJ and Gwen. I just need to learn about this Julie chick and this challenge is in the bag.

Joseph: I really want to win this challenge but look at who I'm teamed up with. I got the party guy, the anime nerd, and the stuck-up villainess. None of them are gonna help me get my A average while I juggle AP courses and sports, but hey, who can?

* * *

Team One (Bridgette, Cody, Alexander, Emily)

As the teens walked down a hallway that contained science classrooms, Bridgette, Cody, and Emily were talking while Alexander followed them a few steps behind. The surfer asked, "What have you been up to since Total Drama Action ended, Cody? I never got the chance to talk to you when we were caught up with the whole Gemmie incident.**[2]**"

The tech geek responded, "Well me, Justin, Trent, and Harold formed a band and we did that for a little while until Harold did his own solo record. After that ended I relaxed and enjoyed life as much as I could before being dragged back here. What have you been up to?"

"I moved a little more inland so that I could live closer to Geoff. Prior to when I moved, it was an hour and a half ride to Geoff's house. Now the trip takes only forty-five minutes. My mom was cool with the move too; as she wanted to get away from all the traffic we had to deal with since our old house was right on the beachfront. Other than that, it's been pretty normal for me," Bridgette said.

Alexander sat down near the wall and said to his teammates, "Let's take a break."

Bridgette turned to the Hispanic slacker and said, "We've only been walking for about forty-five minutes. Compared to Total Drama Island, this is nothing. If you were on that show, you would never have lasted."

"I can't say I would argue with you. I'm just laid back. It's who I am," Alexander said to the surfer.

"As much as I hate it, I have to argue. You aren't laid back, I am. Laid back means calm and relaxed almost all the time. On the other hand, you are lazy," Bridgette told Alexander.

He looked at Bridgette and said, "Whatever. I kind of thought you were nicer, but irregardless, I should tell you about myself. My dad is from Venezuela. That is where my Hispanic origins come from. I have lived in Canada all my life, but I have traveled to Venezuela on a couple of occasions. When I was 12 my parents divorced and remarried. My step-parents drive me insane, and if I win I'm combining the prize money with the pay I receive for working at my local Target and renting out an apartment, in an effort to get away from my step-parents."

Bridgette looked slightly hurt and a little angry after Alexander finished talking. Cody pat Bridgette on the back while saying, "This is a little awkward."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: What is Alexander's problem? He is a bit of a jerk, and I don't like him. And I like everybody! Except Heather. And Eva.

Alexander: I guess it's true that when on TV people do put on a façade to mask their true personality. Although that doesn't make much sense due to this being a TV show as well. Maybe it's just that time of month for her.

Emily: If Alexander and Bridgette kept arguing, I knew a fight would break out. That's why Cody and I intervened. He's really cute when he's trying to help. (She realizes what she says and starts blushing) Chris, can this be edited out?

* * *

Cody intervened before things got ugly between Alexander and Bridgette, "Don't fight, it's only the first day. Why doesn't Emily tell us about herself to help ease the tension?"

Emily blushed momentarily before she begins describing herself, "Well, I've always been a dancer. I also am one of the shortest kids in my school and other kids tend to call me a freshman even though I'm not. I have an older brother that initially tried out for this show. While recording his audition tape, my mom happened to record a slight segment of a routine I was practicing. Obviously they chose me over my brother. If I happened to win, I would give him some of the prize money, since he was the one who was trying to get on this show in the first place. Other than that, I would probably buy a car and save whatever I have left for college."

Cody smiled and said, "That sounds really cool. I'm betting the producers picked you after seeing you dance because of the dancer stereotype. You, clearly, aren't that at all and I love that."

"Thanks," the dancer said.

"Okay, I've calmed down a little, should we keep going," Bridgette asked.

Alexander grunted and said, "As much as I may detest it, we should, but only to win the challenge."

* * *

Team Two (Noah, Leshawna, Nicholas, Jessie)

"I wish I had one of my novels with me right now, since this is such an enriching experience," Noah grumbled.

Nicholas rolled his eyes and said, "I wish you had one of your books right now too, since it would get you to shut up! Not everybody shares your philosophy that you can become better than everyone else if you read all day long."

Noah scowled, "First of all, I don't think reading will make me better than everyone else, I only read because it is something I enjoy. And secondly fixing broken cars will get you so far in life."

Noah's sarcasm started to bug Nicholas and he retaliated, shouting, "Well, at least I'm making money in the world, and am preparing for life after college. Bet you didn't think of that did you, bookworm?"

The know-it-all scowled and said, "You think you're so smart don't you? If you ask me…"

"Shut up! If you guys keep arguing, we ain't never gonna be able to win this challenge," Leshawna shouted angrily at the two arguing guys.

Jessie looked at her three feuding teammates and quietly said, "I don't know if this is the right time, but should we focus on the challenge?"

Leshawna took a deep breath and sighed, then said, "Sure sugar. What do ya want to tell us?"

Jessie started speaking a little louder, "Well, I have always taken my school's toughest academic courses, and always performed admirably. I help out the student council and am one of the class officers for my graduating class. I play violin in the school's orchestra, and am always trying to help others, be it locally or not. For example, I raised about $2000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina when I was in sixth grade. My big project this year is to try to get solar panels installed at my school."

Nicholas had his mouth hanging open and said, "Wow. You do all that? I'm impressed. I'm infinitely more impressed with you than the egghead here. Not only because he keeps complaining every ten seconds that he left his books at the motel."

"Yeah, well I will stop talking about my fine literature so long as you stop mentioning cars," Noah responded spitefully.

"Sorry Noah, I don't know if I can do that, because I'm a mechanic, if my appearance didn't give it away. I've been working on cars since as early as sixth grade, when my dad showed me some simple maintenance jobs. Now, I help him at work, earning money. I technically don't even have to be on this crappy show, but I figured with the prize, I could open up my own mechanic shop after I graduate from college. Besides that, I'm considered average. I play videogames on my PS3 and I watch movies, of which my favorite is the Star Wars movies. I just so happen to be a mechanic at heart," Nicholas said.

Noah took a deep breath and said, "Look, let's just keep moving, as we've wasted enough time with this little disturbance. In particular, I wish to locate the Calculus room." The team then continued down the hallway.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: I can't stand Nicholas talking about something so, un-academic.

Nicholas: I can't stand Noah talking about academics all the time.

Leshawna: Both of those two are getting on my nerves. If we lose, one of them is going home.

Jessie: If we lose, I have to vote for Noah or Leshawna. I don't want to see Nicholas go home yet! I mean, um, it wouldn't be quite fair, being a new contestant and all.

* * *

Team Three (DJ, Gwen, Mikey, and Julie)

The four pleasant contestants (Or in Gwen's case, when she wants to be pleasant) were walking over by the art classrooms when Gwen said, "Julie, you should tell us a little about yourself."

The optimist smiled and said, "Well, I am the vice president of my graduating class. I am part of one of the organizations that help benefit the community. I like being in school and I like to help others out."

Gwen playfully smirked and said, "Let me guess, you are an optimist, aren't you?"

Julie nodded and then glanced in Mikey's direction. She then asked, "What about you Mikey? What would you be comfortable sharing with us?"

The gamer glanced at the optimistic girl and said, "Well, to tell the truth, I am a nerd. There's no way around that. I mean I'm a gamer above all else. Other than that and schoolwork, the other thing that takes up time in my life is robotics. I am a veteran member of my school's robotics team. I guess the only normal thing that I do is bowl, and that could be pushing it. I joined this contest more to meet new friends than to actually win, though I guess it would be pretty sweet to win that prize. Above all, I wanted to make some awesome friends."

DJ spoke up, "I think that's a great reason for you to join a game like this. I think we're cool."

"I agree, the fact that you don't care if others think you are a nerd makes you much more likeable to me. We can be friends," Gwen said.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Okay, so I bet one of my friends back home that I could make at least a dozen new friends on this show. If I do, he owes me twenty bucks. If I make more friends than that, he owes me five more dollars per person. If I don't, I owe him thirty bucks. Two down, ten to go.

* * *

Team Four (Trent, Izzy, William, and Jennifer)

The two musicians and the two crazy contestants walked near the auditorium. Trent and Jennifer were talking to each other about their interests, similar to the conversation Gwen and Trent had during TDI on the episode 'The Big Sleep'. On the other hand, Izzy and William were sharing stories of adventures and experiences that they claimed to have had, but one could never tell. Trent ended up stopping the group as they walked through the auditorium to reach a different area of the school. He then said, "I think this is a suitable place to rest and share some things about us."

Jennifer spoke up first saying, "Well I love the performing arts. I can play guitar and piano, and I am considering learning a different instrument, but I haven't decided on what yet. I also adore the stage. I have played lead in two productions my school put on and major parts in four other plays. I actually had the opportunity to direct a play for my school and the other students seemed to enjoy it, so much so that I'm going to direct another play in the fall. On top of all that, I dabble in art and am trying to help make my town a little greener."

"Greener as in more plants or greener as in less pollution," Trent inquired.

"A little of both," the performing artist replied.

Izzy then said, "That sounds fun. A little boring in my opinion, but fun nonetheless. Okay, now it's William's turn to tell us about himself."

The crazy dude looked at his teammates and said, "Well, I play the drums in my school's band. I am sometimes viewed as just a little crazy, mostly due to the nonsense I spout at lunch. My friends think I should be in the school talent show telling jokes due to the fact that I'm like a comedian. That's more or less it."

Trent looked at his watch as he said, "Cool, well we should probably get going." Trent stood up and offered to help Jennifer up. The performing artist accepted Trent's kind gesture and blushed.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Trent: Jennifer is pretty cool. She and I like the same types of stuff. I still like Gwen, but she and I are just friends now. Maybe Jennifer will be the one for me. I'll have to wait and see.

Jennifer: Oh My God! I can't believe it! I think Trent likes me! YES! (Realizes what she says, and blushes) Chris, can you edit that out?

Chris: They may ask if I can edit stuff out, and I can. But where is the fun in that?

* * *

Team Five (Ezekiel, Courtney, Danny, and Megan)

The team was being lead by Courtney as she continually told them to keep moving. "Come on team, we need to still look around 17 percent of the school," the CIT said.

"And you know that statistic how," Danny questioned.

"Courtney, I'm really, really, really, really, really soory for what happened season one, eh. Can you please furgive me? I've changed I really have," Ezekiel asked the unofficial leader.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Look, Zeke, I will consider forgiving you on two conditions. The first condition is you help me win this challenge. The second is that you stop saying sorry every few minutes."

"Okay, eh. But if yoo want to win, we need to know moore about the rookie contestants," the prairie boy pointed out.

Courtney sighed and said, "I suppose so. Danny is it? How about you let us know about yourself."

The honorable teen took a deep breath and said, "Well, as you can see I am clearly Chinese. I have been taught growing up that honor is one of the most important things in life and I intend to uphold my beliefs. On a different note, I embrace my Chinese heritage. I speak some Chinese and I have been to China and Hong Kong on numerous occasions to visit my family. On top of that, I am a brown belt karate student, which is one rank under black belt. In more normal aspects, I am one of my school's smartest, and most popular. Plus I play the violin."

"You play the violin too," Courtney said surprised.

Zeke looked at Megan and said, "Is there anything you want to tell us?"

The "nice" girl looks at her teammates before saying, "Well, I do play the flute, or at least I used too. I contribute a lot to the student council and I am one of my school's smartest and most popular students."

Courtney then interjected, saying, "I hate to interrupt but we still have some of the school to explore."

As her team walked away, Megan muttered, "If you hate to interrupt then why did you?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: I feel as if I need to keep an eye on Courtney, because for some reason I think she may be a rival of mine.

Courtney: I feel really guilty about interrupting Megan but we had a challenge to complete. You understand, don't you?

Ezekiel: If Courtney can furgive me, then I can furgive her for a mistake she might make.

* * *

Team Six (Geoff, Heather, Joseph, and Rebecca)

The last team walked around the gym area. They knew that there was only a short time remaining before the end of the challenge. "I hate this," Heather suddenly shouted, upset with the challenge she thought was 'stupid' and the people she called 'losers.'

Geoff said in his normal happy-go-lucky tone, "Can't say that being with you is a walk in the park either, dudette. You just gotta relax and find your happy place."

Heather looked at the party boy and said, "That's pretty hard considering that ass Chris keeps bringing us back for more seasons of this idiotic show."

"Yeah, I can tell you don't want the money," Geoff said in a rare moment of sarcasm.

"Heather, you are just a mean and despicable person, just like Orochimaru is in this Naruto manga I'm reading," Rebecca said as she glared at the queen bee.

"You know what? Shut up you stupid anime nerd! I bet you won't last as long as me," Heather said spitefully. Rebecca just looked away, angry at the queen bee. Heather smirked at her victory over the anime nerd and said, "Hey, skinny kid, tell us about you so we can end this moronic challenge."

Joseph smirked and said, "Using a diverse set of words aren't you? Well, I personally think I will be one of the top candidates to win this season. After all, I have taken multiple AP courses. On top of that I am on my school's baseball team and the swimming and diving team. Grade-wise, my grades have never been lower than an A- my entire high school career."

Heather sneered and said, "Wow, you have no life, you know that? No matter, I look forward to crushing you."

"You better watch out Heather. After all everyone from the island is probably looking forward to your elimination. One wrong move and you can say bye-bye," Joseph said, almost mocking the queen bee.

Rebecca spun around and faced Heather and said, "Just to make it harder to keep you in the game, it's time for fun facts about me. Clearly I watch anime and read manga. However, I used to play the saxophone in my school band until it got tiring so I quit. Another thing I do quite often is travel, generally with my dad on business, since he owns a pet grooming shop."

Geoff looked over and said, "Sweet, dudette. I think Noah said he had a dog, you should ask him about that."

* * *

Throughout the school the students heard the intercom crackle with new life. Chris' voice came over the intercom and he said, "Students I hope you had a good chance to get to know your teammates, because lunch will be served in five minutes! Report to the Cafeteria now so that we can begin the challenge sooner and the surviving contestants can relax more today." Chef's gruff voice also came over the intercom and he said, "If you maggots don't show up when you are supposed to, then I would say you get less food, but you ungrateful teens would like that, so you get more! So get your butts down to the Cafeteria now!"

* * *

When everyone was accounted for and served their "food" they sat at tables in groups and talked to each other. One table had Gwen, Trent, Bridgette, Geoff, DJ, Leshawna, Jennifer, and Mikey. Nearby, at a different table sat Cody, Noah, Ezekiel, Izzy, and William. Julie, Jessie, Nicholas, and Emily sat at a different table. Joseph was sitting with Rebecca, Danny, Courtney, Megan, and Alexander. Heather was sitting by herself, for obvious reasons. They talked for a short while until Chris walked into the large room and said, "So how has your first day been so far, students?" His responses were a mixture of "terrible," "pretty good," and "could have been worse." He then resumed speaking saying, "Well, if you would follow me to the auditorium, it's time for the quiz!" The students threw out whatever they decided not to eat (which was about half of the food given out) and proceeded to head down the hall and around the corner to the auditorium. When everyone sat down, Chris began to explain the rules of the challenge, "Each of you will have to answer three questions, one for each other member of your team. For each question answered correctly, your team earns a point. After all the questions have been answered, the two teams with the lowest scores will be forced to eliminate someone. Let's get this quiz started!" Clichéd game show music began to play and Chef walked out wearing his pink dress from the Gilded Chris Ceremonies on Total Drama Action. Many of the contestants snickered at the muscular chef, who muttered something along the lines of, "I better be getting paid for this." Chris took center stage at the podium, where to his left was a microphone and Chef sitting to his right. The sadistic host then said, "In the first round, rookies will go first, followed by the veterans, in alphabetical order for each. So without any other distractions, Alexander is up first."

The Hispanic slacker approached the microphone. Chris asked, "Which member of Cody's band decided to try his hand at a solo record?"

The slacker thought for a moment before answering, "Harold."

"That is correct," the cruel host said. Danny approached the mike.

"Why had Ezekiel been eliminated first on Total Drama Island?" The prairie boy shook and pulled his toque over his eyes.

Danny took a deep breath before answering, "He made sexist comments that angered the girls. However, he does feel guilt and wishes to redeem himself."

Chris nodded and said, "That is correct." Emily was the next to take the stage. The petite dancer was then asked, "What does Bridgette ride?"

Emily scrunched her forehead up in thought before saying, "A surfboard."

"Correct," Chris said. From the audience, Heather developed an evil smirk and shouted out, "That's not the only thing she rides!" The surfer girl developed a massive blush and tried to shrink down in her seat. Alexander tried as hard as he could not to laugh.

Geoff turned and said, "What are you talking about, Heather? She doesn't snowboard. And if you're thinking about skateboarding, that's me."

Joseph turned to the slightly clueless party guy and said, "Don't think of sports dude."

Geoff pondered this for a moment before saying, "I don't think she rides horses either." Joseph face-palmed and whispered something in Geoff's ear. The party boy turned wide-eyed and immediately lunged at the queen bee. It took the combined strength of Trent, DJ, and Joseph to keep Geoff from assaulting Heather. The normally calm party boy started screaming at Heather, "How dare you say that! I'm going to get you Heather, no matter what! You're as good as gone!" The other contestants glared at Heather, shocked that she could elicit such a response from Geoff. Gwen and Leshawna looked at each other and walked over to the guys struggling to contain Geoff. Gwen whispered something to Trent while Leshawna said something to DJ. The two guys looked at each other and released their grip on Geoff. Joseph was knocked to the ground as the enraged party boy tackled Heather to the ground. He then was about to hit her when a hand caught his fist. Geoff looked back to see that Bridgette had caught his fist and she was crying. Geoff relaxed his arm and Bridgette ran outside the auditorium. The party boy ran outside as well.

The queen bee picked herself up off the ground and brushed herself off while saying, "Guy needs to seriously relax." When everyone else in the auditorium glared death at her she defended, "What? You seriously doubt that they haven't done it yet?"

Trent walked up to the queen bee and punched her in the stomach. Heather fell to the ground and Trent said, "You had that coming."

* * *

Outside the auditorium Geoff was searching for Bridgette. He was walking around until he heard quiet sobs coming from a girl's bathroom. "Bridge," Geoff said as he knocked on the door, "Can we talk?" Geoff waited for a moment and when he heard no response, he sighed.

He began to sulk away when he heard a faint, "Geoff." He turned around and faced Bridgette. She was still crying slightly but she tried control herself.

Geoff looked at her and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. When I found out what Heather meant, I couldn't control myself. I understand if you would want to break up with me." Bridgette started to cry a little more. Geoff, figuring he knew what this meant, started to walk away sadly. It wasn't until he felt himself get tackle-hugged that he knew what she truly meant.

"Geoff, please don't leave me. I forgive you, just please don't leave," Bridgette said quietly as she cried into the party boy's shoulder. The party boy turned around and shared a deep, passionate kiss with the surfer. When the kiss finally broke, Geoff picked Bridgette up, bridal style, and carried her into the auditorium. She started hugging her boyfriend.

* * *

When they entered the room, Megan stepped down from the microphone and Chris said, "I'm sorry that isn't correct." The contestants, sans Heather, who was still lying on the floor, cheered for the couple when they noticed they had walked in. Bridgette kissed Geoff's cheek and the party boy walked towards his friends. On the way, he "accidentally" stepped on Heather, which elicited more cheers from the teens and even some from Chris and Chef. Chris continued with the quiz show by inviting Mikey up.

The gamer stood by the microphone. Chris then said, "So why did DJ sign up for TDI in the first place?"

Mikey looked at Chris and said, "DJ initially joined TDI so he could take his mom on a vacation."

The host looked at the gamer and said, "Correct!" Nicholas approached the stage next and Chris asked him, "Why did Noah sign up for TDI?"

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at the know-it-all and said, "Like I care."

Chris shrugged and said, "Okay, then I guess you don't get the point." The mechanic shrugged and jumped off the stage while Rebecca climbed up. "What was the lowest Joseph's grades ever got during his high school career," the sadistic host asked.

Rebecca quickly answered, "An A- was the lowest he got."

"Correct," the host called out. The anime nerd excitedly jumped and did a front flip off the stage. When she landed, her foot slid and she fell to the ground. Lastly William stepped up. He approached the mike. Chris asked, "Which instruments does Jennifer play?"

"Guitar and piano," William said, as he exited the stage.

"That is correct," Chris said before remarking, "This is taking a long time, longer that I thought it would take. So we are going to show a montage of what happens."

"What are you talking about," Noah said.

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "It's for the audience at home." The montage shows all the competitors answering questions. There is a green circle if questions were answered right and a red x is questions were answered wrong. It shows Courtney with three x's. Trent, Gwen, DJ, Mikey, Jennifer, Bridgette, Geoff, Joseph, and Danny answer all of their questions correctly. The remaining contestants get two questions correct. Soon only Leshawna, Ezekiel, Heather, Cody, and Izzy have one question left. After the montage ends, Chef walks by with a sign that has the rankings. Team 3 has 11 points, followed by Team 4 with 9 points. The remaining teams all have 8 points. Izzy was up next. Chris smiled his so-called perfect smile and asked, "How many plays did Jennifer have a major part in?"

The psychotic girl chirps, "That's easy, six plays!"

"Correct, and with that Team 4 joins Team 3 in winning invincibility," Chris announces.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy and William

William: Izzy what does the scouter say about our power level?

Izzy: IT"S OVER 9000!

William: What! 9000? That's impossible! (The two teens are quiet for a moment before breaking out in laughter.)

Izzy: (She wipes a tear from her eye) I always wanted to do that. **[3]**

* * *

Chris flashed his trademark grin at the remaining contestants, "Now is when things get interesting. Depending on how many of you four answer their questions correctly determines if we have I tiebreaker or not. Let's start with Heather." As the queen bee walked on stage, she was booed by the entire audience. "Heather, what are the two sports teams that Joseph is on," Chris said.

Heather quickly replied, "Swimming and Baseball."

Chris said, "That is correct!" Her teammates stopped booing Heather when they heard she got her question right. The next person who walked up was Ezekiel. "Zeke, no pressure dude but if you screw up, then you might be eliminated first. Again." The prairie boy gulped nervously as Chris asked, "What type of instrument does two of your teammates play?"

Ezekiel started to sweat nervously as he answered, "Um, the flute, eh."

Chris frowned and said, "That's incorrect dude. Good luck in not getting eliminated today." Ezekiel looked down at the ground as he left the stage. Cody ascended the stage next. "Cody, my man! Your question is: What is Emily planning to do if she wins," the host asked the scrawny tech geek.

He tapped his chin in thought for a moment before answering, "Well, she was going to give some of it to her brother, then purchase a car, then save the rest for college."

Chris blinked in awe and said, "All you had to say was she was gonna buy a car dude."

"Well I can't help but remember extra information about cute girls," Cody said with a shrug.

"Regardless, you get a point and your team is probably safe," the sadistic host informed the contestants. Finally, Leshawna approached the stage.

She smirked, overly confident, and said, "Bring it on, McClain! I can take anything you throw at me."

The host smiled his evil, sadistic smile and said, "Okay Leshawna, if you wish. What video game system does Nicholas play?" Leshawna's grin was wiped off her face as she suddenly became afraid. That question was the only thing she was not prepared for. It was as if Chris could look into her mind and see what she was least prepared for and based the question off of that, just because Chris is an ass.

Leshawna started wracking her brain for the correct answer and then guessed, "I don't know, the newest Xbox?"

Chris flashed his sadistic smile and said, "Nope! Sorry Leshawna but you, Nicholas, Noah, Jessie, Zeke, Courtney, Megan, and Danny are eligible for elimination. Consider who you wish to vote for and then report back here in an hour for the elimination. If anyone who is safe wishes to watch the elimination, you can. The bus that takes you all to the motel doesn't leave until a half hour after the elimination ceremony anyways. So I will see some of you in a short while."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I didn't want to make a move to control this game yet, but it appears my hand has been forced. Let's face it; Noah and Courtney are essential to my plan to win, so I have to do what I can to help them so I help myself.

* * *

Courtney had just exited a girl's bathroom and started to walk towards the auditorium when she saw Joseph coming down the hall. The overachiever noticed the CIT and said, "Courtney, just the girl I wanted to see."

She scoffed and said, "I already have a boyfriend, you troll."**[4]**

Joseph laughed and said, "That is not what I am here for. I overheard from someone that your team plans to eliminate you."

Courtney's eye twitched in rage and she shouted, "I'm going to kill those good-for-nothing teammates!"

"Calm down, the last thing you need is to make more enemies. I have a suggestion that can save you from elimination, however," the tall teen stated.

The CIT looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Why would you help me?"

Joseph said, "Well, I happen to think of you as one of the best competitors and I would like to have the pleasure of working with you."

The CIT smiled and said, "That's nice of you. So what should I do to keep myself in?"

Joseph said, "Well, the best thing to do is convince your teammates to vote with you. Tell them that the biggest threat is Leshawna because in a season with so many people, she is bound to go far, just like in TDI. If that isn't enough, just tell them that Zeke and the rookies deserve a chance and you and Noah would be of extreme help during the team challenges."

"Thanks, how can I make it up to you," Courtney asked Joseph.

Joseph said, "I'll think of something eventually. Good luck." With that, the overachiever left to go wait with the other victors of the challenge.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: Well, I'm a little nervous regarding Joseph's plan. It sounds like it would work, but Leshawna is one of the few people I tolerate. It's just so complicated.

* * *

Courtney approached Danny, Megan, and Ezekiel in the cafeteria. The three had been discussing whom they were going to eliminate. Courtney walked over and asked, "Who do you guys think we should vote for?"

Danny glared at the CIT and said, "I'm considering you, Miss CIT, because you were unable to answer any of your questions correctly and you were bossing us around."

Courtney sighed and said, "I don't blame you. I would vote for me too. I do know one thing, though. Zeke?"

The aforementioned prairie boy looked at Courtney and asked, "Yeah, what's down, eh?"

Danny chuckled and said, "I believe you mean what's up."

"That too," Zeke said.

"Well, I was thinking and decided to forgive you for what happened back on season one. I know you didn't know any better and so to forgive you, I won't vote for you, and I won't judge you on what you say anymore," Courtney said.

Zeke smiled a big smile and said, "If that's the case, I'm not voting fur yoo, eh."

Danny groaned, "Oh, great, we had this whole thing figured out and now we don't know who to vote for."

Courtney smiled and said, "I thought of a way around that. I think we should vote for Leshawna, as she is the biggest threat. On TDI she made it to the final five. Plus, Noah and I are smart so we can be of a greater help during these team challenges."

Megan, who was quiet up to this point, also pointed out, "Well, I know that Jessie was voting for one of the veterans. I figure us rookies deserve a little chance, so I actually agree with you." The group then dissolved to vote and await the elimination ceremony.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: To be blunt, Nicholas made me really angry today and so I vote for him.

Nicholas: Noah is a pain in the ass so I'm voting for him.

Courtney: Thanks to Joseph's help, Leshawna will be eliminated.

Danny: Being this deceitful, it's not honorable. Therefore, I vote for the one who is not honorable.

* * *

The contestants that were up for elimination were sitting in the front row of the auditorium. Chris had set up a podium. Behind it was a board with seven passes on it. Besides those up for elimination, Gwen, Heather, Joseph, Geoff, Bridgette, and Mikey were sitting in the audience. After Chris had enough time to prepare for the ceremony. He emerged from backstage and walked up to the podium. He flashed his perfect smile before saying, "Students, this is the first elimination ceremony. Those who are safe will receive a hall pass. Since we couldn't think of a way to make the safety items food related, we put a coupon on that gets you a free snack from the motel vending machine. Anyways, if I call your name you can claim your hall pass. The student who does not receive a hall pass must immediately walk the hall of shame to catch the bus of losers and will be eliminated and you can never come back. EVER!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Leshawna: Honestly, Chris always says that, but people always come back. He ain't fooling anyone.

* * *

Chris continued, "Anyways, if I call your name come up and get a hall pass."

"Danny"

"Megan"

"Ezekiel"

"Jessie"

"Courtney"

"Students there are two hall passes left. They go to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Nicholas and Noah"

The two walked up and received their hall passes before Leshawna screamed, "What! How could y'all vote for me over anyone else! This don't make any sense. Gwen keep your eyes out girl and find out who did this!" Chef then walked out and dragged Leshawna down the hall of shame and threw her onto the bus of losers, where a random intern went to bring her to the aftermath studio.

* * *

Gwen angrily walked down the hall to meet up with the rest of the winners. Bridgette and Geoff continually tried to cheer her up, but to no avail. "I can't frickin believe that some people conspired to eliminate Leshawna. I will find out who did this, and stop them," Gwen vowed.

Joseph caught up to the group of people and said to Gwen, "I'm sorry that Leshawna was eliminated Gwen. Just so you know, I'm here to help you. If you need anything, just ask."

Gwen showed a rare smile and said "Thanks."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: What can I say? Joseph is a really nice competitor. It's also really cool how he offered to help me.

Joseph: And now two contestants are under my control, essentially. Courtney owes me and I will help Gwen, for a price: her vote. Mark my words, I will control this game one contestant at a time.

* * *

Chris stood in the auditorium still behind his podium saying, "It's about time we had a real competitor. After Heather went soft we were hoping for another big player. And it looks like we have one in Joseph. Anyways, Leshawna was eliminated. Will Gwen find out who gave her friend the boot? Will any love between contestants bloom? Will any more contestants fall for Joseph's ruse? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Leshawna – 3 (Courtney, Megan, Ezekiel)

Noah – 2 (Nicholas, Jessie)

Nicholas – 2 (Noah, Leshawna)

Courtney – 1 (Danny)

**[1]** – Unless you haven't seen a single episode of Total Drama World Tour, you should figure out this reference.

**[2]** – This season takes place after TDA and the TDA Reunion special, but before TDWT. I love messing with the canon timeline, it feels so satisfying.

**[3] **– I was at my grandparent's house watching Dragon Ball Z Kai on Nicktoons Network and the episode that was on just so happened to be the one with this dialogue, so I felt compelled to work it in. Granted, I used the original Dragon Ball Z lines, but those were the best right? Anyways, I placed that short scene where it is because that is the first place a Confessional would fit in that wouldn't disrupt the action and was after 9000 words.

**[4]** – This is a reference to Courtney calling Duncan an ogre in both the show and in various stories on this site.

Author's Note: This is my first fic. I actually had to write a complete overhaul of this chapter after I wrote about 5 chapters of this fic. It originally was 8 pages in Word and ended up being 26! Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2: The Hunt for Drama

Disclaimer: I don't own, and I don't think I will anytime soon. Too bad I don't, because if I did, Noah would have lasted longer.

* * *

Chris has a wide grin on his face as he stands in front of the high school and says, "Last time on Total Drama High School, we witnessed the return of 12 competitors and welcomed a dozen new ones. Many of our returning competitors welcomed the fresh faces but some, a.k.a. Heather, didn't seem to take a liking to the rookies. They were split into teams of four and had to get to know each other during our Orientation challenge! Following their self-guided tours, they had to compete in a quiz show that proved just how much they knew about each other. After a visit from Joseph, Courtney convinced her team to eliminate the luscious Leshawna. Will Gwen learn of Courtney, or even worse, Joseph's actions? Will anyone become rivals? Will one of the rookies get eliminated? And will we actually pay our interns? Find out the answers to most of these questions right now on Total Drama High School!"

A large yellow bus with the Total Drama High School logo painted on the sides pulls up to the sidewalk near the front entrance. Chef, in a bus drivers outfit, said, "Get off this bus, you maggots!"

This prompted the students to prepare to depart. Before they had a chance to exit, Chris announced, "When you go inside, go to the auditorium." The 23 contestants started to exit the bus.

Noah and Joseph were the first ones off. Noah looked over Joseph, shrugged, and then approached the skinny teen and said, "Joseph, I would like to ask you something."

"All right, what's up," Joseph said as he looked at the know-it-all.

Noah started to say, "Well, my near elimination yesterday told me something. I realized that in order for me to succeed, I need some assistance. Someone to watch my back you know? Basically, I want an alliance. I know of your intelligence and therefore, I picked you. We could go all the way to the finals then split the prize. What do you say?"

Joseph looked at the bookworm for a moment before he smiled and said, "Sure, I'll be in your alliance. How could I refuse a deal like this? I just want to be able to determine some of the people we target."

Noah smirked and said, "Don't worry; prior to each elimination, we can discuss who we want to target." At this moment, the two entered the auditorium. They sat down in the front as the other 21 contestants filed in and sat down close to the front.

Chris entered the auditorium from the right of the stage and approached the podium. He smiled his flashy smile and said, "Welcome to day 2 of the competition! Today's challenge will be based off of History, but at the same time it's a scavenger hunt!"

Heather yelled out, "A scavenger hunt? That's the best you can do? Honestly, the challenges were more original when they were blatant rip-offs of movie genres."

Chris, upset from being interrupted, yelled back, "You try coming up with two exciting challenges that have something to do with History when only one can be a war!"

Heather bit the bottom of her lip in thought before saying, "You win this round Chris, but a scavenger hunt is still lame! What are we, seven?"

Geoff then shouted, "Wait, so is the next challenge a war? Righteous!"

Chris looked at the queen bee and the party boy for a moment before saying, "Anyways, there are five objects per contestant hidden in the school. The objects are a Spartan shield, a Roman Coin, a Greek Vase, a Samurai Sword, and a grail, meant to represent the Holy Grail. You cannot simply take any object you see, as your objects will be emblazoned with your face on them. There are three additional sets of blanks that are like wild cards, so anyone can use them. Also, legal told me using real swords would be too dangerous so the swords and I believe the vases are made out of plastic. Irregardless, everything is a replica and not really some long lost artifact. Naturally, you have to find all five of your objects, which include any wild cards you find. The first twelve to find all their objects and present them to me will win immunity. Today however, we are trying a new voting system. The winners of today's challenge will be determining who is going to go home and who is safe. You only have from 9:00 until 2:00 to find all of your objects. If less than twelve people find all five objects, those who found four in the least amount of time will be granted immunity and so on. Lunch will be served by Chef Hatchet between 11:00 and 1:00. If you manage to find all your objects before 11:00, you will get the honor of eating with me. My personal chef will make whatever it is you want. You gotta be pretty fast to get that reward, dudes and dudettes. If you are not eating with me, you better go get lunch from Chef or else he will make your life a living hell."

The cook, who was also sitting in the auditorium, smiled darkly and said, "That's part of the fun Chris."

The host smiled and said, "That it is, my man, that it is**[1]**. So good luck, 'cause you're going to need it."

The host prepared to leave the stage when Courtney suddenly asked, "Chris, where are you going? You haven't told us the teams yet."

Chris turned back and said, "Oh yeah, there are no set teams this challenge. You can work with whoever you want, or you can work alone, if that's how you want to play. But multiple pairs of eyes are better than one, just saying. You can leave at 9:00."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: I'm not sure if forming an alliance with Joseph is the best of ideas, but at the very least, if I am wrong then it will be easier to get rid of him. In any event, the first person to target should be greatly disliked, but whom?

* * *

The teens started to talk as they waited for the challenge to start. For the most part, they were trying to figure out who they wanted to work with.

"So Joseph, would you like to work with me," Noah asked his secret alliance partner.

The overachiever looked thoughtfully at Noah for a moment and said, "Sure, why not?" The two started discussing trivial things, which raised little suspicion from the contestants, except for Heather.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Heather: I know Noah and Joseph are up to something. Think about it, they were the first ones off the bus, they are both ridiculously smart, and now they are teaming up. I'm betting that they have got an alliance, and I will crush it.

* * *

Mikey scanned the possible contestants and then found one of his favorite contestants and approached him, saying, "Yo Geoff! You wanna work with me?"

The party boy turned around at hearing his name and saw the gamer. Geoff excitedly exclaimed, "Sure thing dude! I hope you don't mind working in a group of four, 'cause Bridgette was going to find someone to work with us."

The gamer said, "I don't have any problem with that dude!"

The two shared a fist bump and then a feminine voice said, "Hey Geoff, I'd like you to meet Megan. She seemed interested in working with us."

Geoff turned and saw his girlfriend along with Megan. "What's up dudette? Oh, Bridge, this is Mikey he wanted to work with us too! This is going to be so awesome!"

Bridgette smiled at Mikey and said, "Nice to meet you Mikey. Gwen said you were a really nice guy."

"Thank you," the gamer said, accepting the compliment, before continuing, "This is going to be awesome!"

Geoff agreed with a loud, "YEAH!" He then proceeded to have a make out session with Bridgette.

The gamer smiled at this and said to Megan, "You know, I find this moment heartwarming and yet I can't help but feel a bit envious."

The nice girl questioned, "Why does it make you envious?" "Honestly, I've never kissed a girl. I've never even had a girlfriend. It just makes me wish for something I don't have," Mikey replied in a sad tone, a tone that others were not used to hearing.

Megan looked at her teammate and pulled him into a hug, feeling sorry for him. The gamer looked surprisingly at Megan for a moment until she let go, saying, "Well at least now you can't say you've never hugged a girl."

"Thanks," Mikey responded, the slightest of blushes covering his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: That was the first time a girl who wasn't related to me hugged me. It was pretty cool, especially since I felt her chest pushed against mine. I gotta see if I can get some more hugs from her. (He smiles sheepishly until the camera cuts to static)

* * *

Cody walked up to Emily and Rebecca, who were talking. In actuality, Rebecca was talking about human-like aliens who could fire energy blasts from their hands and fought androids and malevolent aliens** [2]**, while Emily looked on, half confused and half scared.

Cody quizzically looked at Rebecca before shrugging his shoulders and said, "Would you lovely ladies like to work with me."

Almost instantly, Emily excitedly replied, "Yes!"

Rebecca quirked an eyebrow at the quick response before turning her attention back to Cody and saying, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: I'm kinda worried that Rebecca's obsession with anime will get her eliminated. I mean, all I did was ask her what was new and she starts summarizing this anime. How does that have to do with her life?

* * *

Gwen angrily looked around at the contestants who were still chatting. She wanted to find the people responsible for eliminating Leshawna. Megan was with Bridgette and Danny was talking to Trent, so Gwen figured she would question them later, instead of calling them out in front of her friends. Courtney would lie, she reasoned, and Ezekiel would run away because he would probably think that she would be mad at him. Gwen didn't care so much for what happened during season one right now, as she was angrier about what happened the previous day. The goth girl then noticed Nicholas and Jessie sitting by themselves, talking. 'Perfect,' Gwen thought, 'I can question those two and maybe get some help at the same time.'

She approached the duo, and Nicholas noticed her approach, where he asked, "Hello Gwen. Did you want to work with us?"

"First thing's first, did either of you vote for Leshawna," Gwen angrily asked.

Jessie quietly said, "No, we both voted for Noah, so that his vote and Leshawna's would cancel out."

The mechanic sitting next to her agreed saying, "It's true. I'm pretty sure that Courtney voted for Leshawna, but I'm not certain who she roped into voting for her."

Gwen sighed and said, "If I work with you, can you help me get to the bottom of this mystery?"

Nicholas and Jessie looked at each other for a moment, and then Nicholas shrugged and said, "I don't see why not."

Gwen showed a slight smile and said, "Thanks."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: I can understand why Gwen would be a bit skeptical. We were on Leshawna's team after all. Still, she should be trying to get info out of the other team, not me and Jessie.

Gwen: After Joseph kindly agreed to help me, I felt a surge of confidence in trying to work my way to the bottom of this mystery. Now with Joseph, Nicholas, Jessie, Bridgette and Geoff helping me, the culprit behind this will get caught.

* * *

DJ was walking around looking at who was in a team so far. Many of his friends had already formed their teams so he had considered working on his own. He then saw out of the corner of his eye, Julie waving. He turned and saw Julie standing with Trent and Jennifer. She winked at him then waved again, shouting, "Hi DJ!"

The gentle giant walked over to the group and asked Trent, "Yo Trent, do you mind if I work with you?"

Trent looked at his partners for a moment and then said, "Sure thing, big guy."

DJ looked over at Julie and asked, "So why did you wave me over?"

"You looked a little saddened to be working on your own so I decided to help you out," Julie said cheerfully.

The gentle giant smiled and said, "Thanks."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

DJ: You know, for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that Julie likes me.

Julie: I love acting kind toward everyone! Except for Heather, she can- (The camera goes to static before Julie finishes her statement.)

* * *

'Hmmm,' Danny pondered as he gazed over the groups of contestants. He was unsure of who he wanted to work with. There were numerous people he was considering but he saw Izzy and William working together. Seeing nobody responsible in sight, the honorable teen imagined the consequences of letting the two crazy teens work together. He shivered at the thought and proceeded to walk over to the two teens. "Izzy, hello. I was wondering, do you mind if I tag along with you for the challenge," Danny asked.

Izzy grew her terrifying grin and said, "Sure you can work with us! More eyes mean a better way to find everything and a better way to crush the others!" Danny stared at the crazy girl until she said, "Nah, I'm kidding, I'm not crushing anyone. But sure, you can work with us." Danny mentally sighed as he fully realized what he got himself into.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Danny: You know, I'm questioning my sanity, willingly working with Izzy.

* * *

Courtney, Alexander, Ezekiel and Heather decided to work alone on this challenge. Courtney worked alone because she didn't want to be questioned about the previous day. Alexander didn't really know anyone and didn't try to get into a group. Ezekiel was afraid that none of the girls and even some of the guys wouldn't accept him, so he worked on his own. Heather didn't have a group because, well, she's Heather.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Heather: Am I crazy for working on my own? Not a chance, seeing as I was vulnerable when I was on a team. If I work by myself, my chances of victory go through the roof. It's just logic.

* * *

At precisely 8:30, a bell rang. "I guess that means we can go, eh," Ezekiel mused. The students walked out of the auditorium, branching off, half going to the left and half going to the right.

* * *

Geoff, Bridgette, Megan, and Mikey were talking to each other as they walked into the gymnasium. As could be expected, Geoff was telling a story about a party he went to. He recalled, "So this party was still going strong after three hours. I was setting up some music with two of my friends so that we could all rock out harder. I would have totally been on the dance floor, but since this party was after TDI, it wouldn't have felt the same without Bridgette."

The surfer girl blushed slightly and said, "Awww," as she gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

Geoff smiled as he continued, "Anyways, maybe a half hour before this happened these three guys who weren't invited had totally shown up. After me and two of my friends set up the music, the host came up to us and asked the three of us if we could try to get rid of them. So my buds and I came up with a totally righteous plan. We went over to them, introduced ourselves and told them to check out the stereo system we set up. They followed us and then, when they weren't expecting it, we picked them up and threw them headfirst into the pool. At that point it was like 11:00 so the water was wicked cold. They almost literally jumped out and ran away. It was totally awesome."

Mikey laughed and said, "Dude that sounded awesome. I remember this one party I went to, there were like 4 people awake at 2 in the morning, me included, so the four of us went to the kitchen and got the whipped cream. If you couldn't guess by now, we sprayed it on the faces of the people who were sleeping. Man, when they woke up, that was a riot!"

Geoff smiled brightly and shouted, "WOO! Another party dude in the house. I gotta get your phone number or address or something. Where did you say you lived again?"

Mikey laughed and said, "I didn't but I live roughly an hour north of Vancouver."

Geoff happily exclaimed, "No way! I live like an hour east of Vancouver! And Bridge lives in Vancouver now, right?"

Bridgette giggled and said, "I technically live in Vancouver, but I live in a more suburban area, not the city itself."

Geoff excitedly said, "Excellent! Now I have a reason to throw a totally righteous party with like almost everybody from the show! Bridgette, you and Mikey so gotta come!"

"Sounds awesome man! I can't wait," Mikey said excitedly.

"Like I would give up an opportunity to spend time with you," Bridgette said while smirking.

Geoff then noticed Megan, who had been quiet the entire time so far, and said, "You wanna come to my totally awesome party too, dudette?"

Megan looked a little downcast and said, "I would love to, but I live like 4 hours north of Vancouver, so it would be hard to go down, attend the party, and get home in one day."

Bridgette placed an arm on the nice girl's shoulder and said, "You could stay with me if you wanted to come to the party. My mom just recently finished with getting a guest bedroom in order so you could have somewhere to stay."

"Thanks," Megan said.

The party boy and gamer looked at each other and said at the same time, "This is going to be so wicked!"

Mikey then asked Geoff, "Dude we can be considered friends right?"

"Ch'yeah! No doubt 'bout that bro," Geoff happily remarked. "

Bridgette then noticed they were sitting in the bleachers and asked, "We should probably get working on the challenge, shouldn't we?"

Mikey looked at his watch and said, "You know, it might help."

"Oh, I totally see some of those cup-things under these bleachers," Geoff remarked. Mikey crawled under the bleachers from the side and grabbed the grails.

He crawled back out, covered in dust. He brushed some of the dust off and said, "Well, there is a grail for myself and one for Megan." He handed the grail to Megan, who smiled and thanked Mikey for getting it. The group then searched the other side of the gym, where they found Bridgette's samurai sword hiding under a seat in the bleachers.

* * *

Cody and his two female teammates were walking through the area of the school that contained the math classrooms. "How are you today Emily," Cody asked the petit dancer.

She replied, "Well, I slept well and I feel pretty confident about the challenge, if that's what you mean. I was meaning to ask you, what do you think about some of the other rookie contestants?"

Cody thought for a moment before he answered, "Well, from what I heard from Gwen, Mikey seems like he is a pretty cool guy. Joseph seems friendly, but you can't always completely trust some people. Don't worry though, I do trust you. Anyways, Nicholas and Jessie look like they are good friends, I bet they're gonna become a couple. Anyways, it looks as if Jennifer has taken a liking to Trent. She's probably a fan of him. You know, even though I supposedly have a lot of fans, I have yet to meet one."

Emily looked at him adoringly and quietly said, "That's not true. I'm one of your fans. I thought you were ripped off when you were eliminated from TDI."

"Wow, I honestly never expected to find one of my fans on this very show," Cody said while blushing.

Rebecca was watching the entire conversation and remarked, "This is like in this one manga about card games that the hero's love interest admits that she has feelings for the hero."

Emily, now blushing wildly, looked away and saw her vase perched on top of a filing cabinet. The dancer then asked, "Cody can you help me get this?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: So telling Cody that I was one of his many fans was not supposed to happen yet. I mean, I would tell him eventually, but not on the second day! Well at least I haven't told him that I like him yet. (She suddenly goes wide-eyed) Don't air this!

Cody: You know, I never would have guessed that she is one of my fans. So it's basically confirmed she likes me, to what degree I'm not sure. On top of that, she's pretty hot. I bet she would go out with me if I asked her.

* * *

Alexander was taking his time with the challenge. He had made his way to the cafeteria. The Hispanic slacker entered and noticed his vase on the floor under a lunch table. He picked it up, and then sat down at the table. He murmured to himself, "Time to take a break. After all, the others can't be too far ahead, right?"

* * *

Gwen, followed closely behind by Nicholas and Jessie, entered the chemistry lab. As they entered the large room, they immediately noticed the giant glass case in the back holding all the chemicals. There were also 20 stations for students to work in rows of 4. They also saw Noah and Joseph heading towards them, as if they were leaving. The two stopped short and Joseph said, "Oh, hey guys. There's some stuff in here but we didn't see whose it was. Anyways, see you later." The pair began to leave.

Noah stopped, turned around, and said, "Nicholas can I speak with you for a second?" The mechanic raised an eyebrow and walked over to the cynical teen. Noah said quietly, so the others wouldn't hear him, "Look, about yesterday. I'm sorry I was such an ass to you. I was just grumpy after having to come back to this show after how poorly I did on season one."

Nicholas looked at the know-it-all and said, "Oh, well in that case, then no hard feelings."

"Great. See you around," Noah said as he left.

The trio then began to search the large room. Nicholas spotted Jessie's shield hanging on the back wall, just out of her reach. Being a gentleman, he walked over to her and helped her retrieve it from the wall. Meanwhile, over by one of the work stations, Gwen was looking around the ground when two things caught her eye. One was her coin, which she immediately picked up, and the other was Courtney's coin, which Gwen stood looking at for a moment until she made up her mind and picked up the metal object.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: I know it's not entirely right to make the playing field uneven in an attempt to get revenge, which would be a move Heather would make. On the other hand, it wasn't necessarily right of Courtney to go behind Leshawna's back and eliminate her.

* * *

Courtney was filled with a mixture of anger, sadness, and despair as she began to leave the library. She was exhausted after spending the past hour searching the large room for any of her objects. She didn't find any that belonged to her, but she found many other objects, including those that belonged to Geoff, Megan, Jessie, Alexander, Trent, and Izzy. She approached the main entry point of the library, which was situated near the office. She was about to leave when she noticed a vase behind a glass case. Recalling yesterday, she did not see it before, so she went over to turn it around, as she could not see a face from where she was looking at it. She carefully opened the case and turned the vase. Her face lit up when she realized that it was her vase. She excitedly took the object and left the room, holding the door for Izzy, William, and Daniel. The three entered the library and thanked Courtney for holding the door, after which Courtney went to search the remainder of the school.

Inside the library, Izzy started sniffing the air, and then started running on her hands and feet around the room, searching for the scent of her object. (Before you say anything about smelling an inanimate object, just remember that it's Izzy.) She began her mad search and passed by a table with Alexander's vase perched on it. The vase teetered back and forth for a moment before toppling from its perch. Izzy stopped and turned around when she heard the shattering porcelain. She looked at the shards of the vase and said, "Whoops." She then continued on her way, finding her own vase and then leaving the room.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: Izzy didn't think it would break. Izzy remembered Chris said it was plastic. Maybe Chris lied to Izzy?

Chris: Ya know, now that I think of it, I don't think legal required all the vases to be made of plastic. Oh, well it's not like it will hurt anybody if they don't know, right?

* * *

Heather angrily scowled as she checked the final room on the north side of the school that she had not yet seen. She slammed the door as she left, angry that it was, as all the other rooms had been, empty. Heather leaned against a wall and said to nobody in particular, "I can't believe that I haven't found anything yet! I bet those interns hid my objects in the inanest places possible, just to get revenge for the hell I gave them on the island." She looked at the clock mounted on the wall and saw it was 10:30. She sighed and said, "Well, so much for getting normal food for lunch. Instead, I'm going to have to stomach Chef's crap." She sighed again and left for the south side of the school, hoping she would find something.

* * *

DJ, Julie, Trent, and Jennifer were walking and talking as they approached the woodshop. Trent and Jennifer were sharing stories about their musical careers. "Well, I played an instrumental version of the national anthem at a hockey game. That combined with the battle of the bands that I won enabled me to land several small gigs. I've played a total of maybe seven or so," Jennifer summarized.

Trent smiled and said, "That's pretty cool. In the break between Total Drama Island and Total Drama Action I was approached by a radio station in Toronto. They agreed to give me an hour-long show once a week. The audience loves me, I mean after the first week I got two mail bags full of fan letters. It's a little overwhelming actually. Then of course there was that short time when Cody, Harold, Justin, and I were The Drama Brothers." The cool musician turned to DJ, who was leading the group and said, "Are we by the woodshop yet, Deej?"

The gentle giant shook his head, stammering, "Y-y-yeah."

Julie rubbed his back and said, "It's okay DJ, there's nobody inside, none of the tools are on."

DJ said, "I know, I'm just afraid of the power tools. In middle school there was this kid in my woodshop class that sliced his finger open. I don't remember much because I fainted but the kid had to keep his finger bandaged for a couple of weeks. **[3]** I can try going in though."

"That's the spirit DJ," Trent said encouragingly. The gentle giant slowly entered the room and turned on the lights. He looked around nervously as the others followed him in. As they looked around the empty room they found many objects, including one for each of them.

Julie found this as strange and remarked, "This is kind of easy. I wonder who "hid" these objects?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Chef: I needed some "me" time, so I gave tubby some cake and told him to hide the stuff I was supposed to hide.

Owen: Chef gave me some cake and asked me to hide some stuff for him. I ran out of hiding spots so I put a lot of stuff in the woodshop room. He, he, cake.

* * *

Ezekiel turned a corner while thinking to himself about his good fortune. He had already found two of his objects and believed that the interns were giving him a break because of his misfortune in season one. He didn't see that in front of him the floor was very wet and he slipped on it, flying into the air a little bit and landing on his back. **[4]** When he fell, he dropped both of his objects, the grail and the vase. He watched in horror as the vase hit the ground, shattering into a million pieces. Zeke scratched his head through his toque and said, "How did that happen, eh?"

After he said this, Duncan came around the corner with a wet floor sign. He looks at the shattered vase and says, "Aw, crap! Now I gotta clean this up too!" The delinquent looks and sees Zeke and then puts the puzzle together in his mind. Duncan said to the prairie boy, "Whoops, sorry home school, I left for a sec to get this sign. I'll make sure that nobody votes for you to make up for this."

Zeke smiles and says, "Thanks Duncan." The prairie boy begins to walk away.

Duncan waits until Zeke is out of earshot and mutters, "He is such a loser." Duncan then places the sign on the ground, looks to make sure nobody else is around and then walks away, whistling slightly.

* * *

The nerd alliance (Noah and Joseph) were coming close to finishing the challenge. They had to hurry if they wanted the reward of real food, as it was ten minutes to 11. They each only needed one final object. They deduced that they must be in the Library, as the Cafeteria, the only other location they had yet to search, seemed too obvious. They hurriedly entered the large room and split up. Noah looked over by the bookshelves while Joseph searched near the computers and by the front desk. Noah shouted triumphantly and returned to Joseph with both of their remaining objects, one a Spartan shield and the other a samurai sword.

The two entered the office, which was very close to the library, and placed all of their objects on the counter. Chris went up to them and began examining them. He looked at one of the swords and said, "Noah, you found a blank?"

The know-it-all smiled and said, "Yes I did. Now, do we win the challenge and get that special lunch?"

Chris glanced over the objects one last time and said, "Congratulations Noah and Joseph! Not only do you two receive immunity, but you get a special gourmet meal!"

The two then were shown to the Relaxation Lounge, a room that was modified and turned into a place for winners of a challenge to relax until after the elimination. The room had several large couches, two flat screen TVs with video game consoles, two computers with internet, a private restroom, and a winner-exclusive confessional, among other things. The two alliance members looked at awe in the luxurious room.

They sat down on a couch and began to talk strategy until their lunches arrived. Joseph asked, "So who do you believe would be a suitable target?"

Noah pondered this for a moment before saying, "I believe Alexander would be appropriate because he is lazy and has little uses besides his strength. Additionally, he has problems with Bridgette, which sets off an alarm in my mind."

"You raise some good points, Noah, we shall see what we can do," the overachiever said.

Chris overheard this conversation and noted, "Yo, you guys wondering how Alexander is doing right now? According to the security cameras, he is sleeping on a table in the cafeteria. He found only one object so far." Noah and Joseph each raised an eyebrow at this.

* * *

Lounge Confessional

Joseph: I find it intriguing that Alexander is sleeping at a time like this. If he were to increase his efforts, he wouldn't have any trouble with the challenge.

Noah: It seems somewhat obvious to me who to vote off tonight. Honestly, he is sleeping in the middle of a challenge? And they thought I was lazy back on TDI.

* * *

Geoff and Mikey were in the Boys Locker Room. They forgot to check the locker rooms when they visited the gym earlier, but they had enough time to see if their objects were here.

While searching the locker room, Mikey suddenly asked, "Geoff, you know how to get a girl to like you right?"

Geoff raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course dude. Why are ya asking?"

"Well see, there's this girl I like and I don't know how to go about asking her out or finding out if she likes me back," Mikey admitted.

Geoff nodded a little and said, "I see. Well, who is it?"

Mikey, taken aback, said, "What?"

"Dude, if you want my help, I gotta know who the girl is," Geoff said while chuckling a little.

Mikey sighed in defeat and said, "Well, I really like…"

At that moment the loudspeaker went off and Chef yelled, "Lunch is officially served. So you better show up maggots!"

Geoff nodded again and said, "I see. Well, let me see what I can do."

* * *

At the same moment Geoff and Mikey were talking, Bridgette and Megan were in the Girl's Locker Room, searching for their remaining objects. They were talking about things that don't help move the plot along. Bridgette then asked the nice girl, "So do you know if there are any guys that you like."

Megan blushed slightly and said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Bridgette laughed and said, "Well, this show actually proved to be a little good, as it helped me and Geoff together. I figured the same could happen for you. Judging by your blush, you like a guy."

"Okay, yes I like one of the guys on the show," Megan confessed after sighing in defeat.

"Well, who is it," Bridgette asked.

Megan nervously asked, "You want me to tell you?"

Bridgette smiled and said, "Yes, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Megan then quietly said, "Well, the guy I like is…"

Then the loudspeaker crackled with life and Chef yelled, "Lunch is officially served. So you better show up maggots!"

Bridgette looked surprised and said, "Really? I didn't think you would be into him."

Megan nodded and said, "Well, living with brothers does have a couple advantages. I just wish my brothers weren't quite so perverted."

Bridgette, still smiling, said, "I know how you feel, Geoff's brothers are so perverted."

The two girls shared a laugh and exited the locker room, where they found Geoff and Mikey waiting.

"Ready to go," Geoff asked. The two girls nodded in agreement and the group departed. Just a few minutes later, they reached the office, where Chris was waiting. The group entered, Mikey holding the door for everyone. The group smiled at his kind action.

They showed the objects to Chris, where he checked over all twenty objects. "I see, you found in total seventeen of your objects and found a blank shield, coin, and vase. Well, congratulations, you all receive immunity tonight. Now feel free to enter the Relaxation Lounge, an area that we built to keep winners comfortable," Chris said.

"Wow, there was enough money in the budget to afford to build this," Geoff wondered.

Noah, who was sitting on a couch spoke up and said, "No, there was a portion of the budget specified as player services. It was to be used on things for the contestants, ideally equipment for the challenges to keep it safe. Instead Chris used that to build us this lounge and used as little money as possible for the challenges, or made them more hazardous or challenging. That would explain the porcelain vases. Irregardless, don't expect things to be state of the art or anything. About 50 percent of the budget goes directly to Chris. Another 30 percent went to renting out this dilapidated building and the motel. Ten percent was the player services and Chef's paycheck, the challenge budget, and the intern paychecks, if there are any, comprise the last ten percent of the budget."

"Damn, Noah, how do you know all this," Chris replied indignantly.

Noah chuckled and said, "I was your assistant once remember? You fired me right before the Gemmie awards. By the way, when is Total Drama World Tour going to take place?"

Chris remembered the events of the night and following morning of the Gemmie awards and then said, "It should be a couple days after the end of this season. It was going to be first, but the deal for this place was too good to be true."

Bridgette, who had been listening, then glanced over to see her teammates looking at the amenities of the room. Mikey was looking over the collection of videogames available for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. Megan was looking at the collection of DVD's, which were next to the videogames. Geoff meanwhile was looking at the fully-stocked fridge, probably wondering how awesome a party he could throw. Chris then walked over the intercom and started it up. He then said, "Contestants, you better hurry up! Only six slots remain for invincibility, so if you want one, you should probably pick up the pace!"

* * *

The echoing announcement echoed to an even greater extent in the nearly-empty cafeteria. The only people present other than Chef were Gwen, Nicholas, Jessie and a sleeping Alexander. The announcement awakened Alexander from his nap however. He looked around and noticed it was noon. "That was a nice nap. I should probably go about finishing the challenge." The Hispanic slacker then got up and left the cafeteria, about to search for more objects.

* * *

Heather, in her quest to try to win immunity, picked up several objects that were not hers. She ended up with Alexander's coin, Cody's shield, and Courtney's grail. In addition to that, she found her vase and sword. There was only an hour and a half left to complete the challenge and she knew she was out of the running by this point. However, she was determined to prevent other people from finishing the challenge if it was the last thing she would do.

* * *

Gwen and her teammates were slowly walking to the office, trying to let the contents of their stomachs settle as best they could. You see, they had just had lunch and so they were walking slowly to help Chef's slop settle better. About ten minutes after they had their lunch they reached the office and entered it. From around the corner, Cody saw Gwen enter and was happy for her, until he ran into a brick wall, as he was happy to see his crush get immunity.

Rebecca and Emily caught up to the scrawny tech geek a moment later and found him on the ground. Emily helped him to his feet and the three entered the office. As they did so, they heard Chris exclaim, "Congrats you three, you win immunity tonight, feel free to use the lounge until we are ready for you to vote."

As Chris went to look at the objects brought in by Cody, Emily, and Jennifer, Gwen pulled Nicholas and Jessie aside. "Did you want to ask us something Gwen," Nicholas asked, "Because a simple 'Can I ask you something' would have sufficed."

Gwen sighed and said, "Sorry. Now, can you guys vote for Courtney?"

"Let me guess, you want to eliminate her because you suspect that Courtney masterminded Leshawna's elimination, right," Jessie guessed.

Gwen smiled slightly and said, "You got it. So, are you in?"

Nicholas and Jessie glanced at each other, which was followed by Nicholas responding, "I suppose we can vote for her."

"Thanks guys," Gwen said weakly.

* * *

After Chris accepted the objects that Cody, Emily, and Rebecca supplied, he turned the intercom on and announced, "Students, stop searching! If you are still looking for objects, then you did not receive immunity and are at the mercy of those who have won. Please meet in the auditorium in one hour for the elimination ceremony."

The three teens had previously decided who they were going to vote for while searching for their objects. Cody ended up sitting on a couch next to Mikey, who was playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii in the lounge. Cody noticed this and said, "Mikey is it? Do you mind if I join in?"

Mikey paused the game, which was currently in the Subspace Emissary mode, and said, "Sure thing. I just hope you don't mind being Link, because he is the character I picked next."

"That's cool, just let me grab a controller," Cody said as he went to the game cabinet and picked up a controller.

Meanwhile, Emily walked over to Bridgette and Megan, who were talking about how to get Megan's secret crush to like her. Emily asked, "Hey girls, what are you up to?"

"Just talking about how to get a boy to like me," Megan said nonchalantly.

Emily's eyes widened and she said, "Can you help me get Cody to like me?"

Bridgette giggled and said, "Sure thing."

* * *

Later, Bridgette called her teammates over and sat on two couches. "So what's up," Megan asked.

"Well," Bridgette explained, "I wanted to determine who we should eliminate. I was thinking of eliminating Alexander. After all, he is lazy and will not be able to help anybody in the competition."

Mikey and Megan glanced at each other and remarked at the same time, "She has a point." The two looked at each other for a moment and blushed slightly.

Geoff then remarked, "But Bridge, what about Heather? I mean she got virtually everybody eliminated on TDI and she is evil."

Bridgette sighed and said, "I know that Heather is evil but I would rather be paired up with her than with Alexander."

Geoff shook his head and said, "Well, as much as I hate to disagree with you, I'm going to vote for Heather. The sooner we get rid of her, the better."

Geoff then got up and left to vote. Bridgette also got up and exited the room. Mikey looked next to him and said to Megan, "Well that was weird."

In the hallway, Joseph approached Bridgette. "Hello Bridgette, do you know who you are voting for?"

Bridgette sighed and said, "I want to vote for Alexander, but Geoff is dead set on voting for Heather. Unless some other people vote for Alexander, he won't be eliminated."

"Don't worry Bridgette. I will help you since I could not decide who I wanted to vote for yet anyways," Joseph said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She smiled but then quickly frowned and said, "That's still not enough people. It will end up being a tie."

Joseph chuckled and said, "Let me handle that."

Bridgette smiled and asked, "Is there anything I could do to repay you?"

Joseph tapped his chin in thought and then said, "Would you mind helping me eliminate someone down the line, if I don't have enough support?"

"I can do that. Thanks for helping," Bridgette said.

"It was my pleasure," was Joseph's reply.

* * *

Lounge Confessional

Geoff: I hope that Bridge doesn't hold the fact that I didn't vote with her against me. That would so totally not be righteous.

Joseph: I have yet another of the contestants support. Now, a promise is a promise and I told Bridgette I was voting for Alexander, so that is exactly what I will do.

Gwen: Normally I'd vote for Heather, but I believe it was Courtney who manipulated the others to eliminate Leshawna, and I'm not forgetting that.

Cody: Heather is really mean, and I bet she still plans on eliminating us. I'm getting rid of her before she gets rid of me.

* * *

All eleven of the contestants who were up for elimination were sitting in the front two rows of the auditorium. They were either calm, anxious, or in Alexander's case, partially asleep. Some of the others present for the elimination were Bridgette, Gwen, Cody, Joseph, and Noah. Chris entered from the left of the stage and said, "Welcome, losers to the elimination ceremony! The winners of today's challenge have picked the lucky loser and the votes have been tallied. When I call you name, please come up to the stage, claim your hall pass, and sit back down. Whoever does not receive a hall pass must immediately walk the hall of shame to catch the bus of losers and be unable to return, ever!" The rookie contestants, minus Danny, flinched when Chris shouted that. The narcissistic host then continued, saying, "Hall passes go to…"

Jennifer, who was slightly anxious, looked over at Trent, who was quite calm. She then asked, "Aren't you worried about being eliminated?"

Chris called the first contestant safe, "Trent!"

Trent responded to Jennifer's question with a "Not Really" before going up to claim his hall pass. **[5] **

"Also safe are, Jennifer, Julie, DJ, Izzy, William, Danny, and Zeke," Chris announced.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Ezekiel: I guess Duncan kept his promise, eh.

Duncan: I didn't do anything to help prairie boy. Guess he just got lucky.

* * *

Chris turned to the final three without a hall pass. "Courtney, Alexander, Heather, there are reasons as to why you all received votes, but I don't feel like listing them. The second-to-last pass goes to the person with the least amount of votes. And that person is," …

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Courtney!" The CIT ran up to the podium to accept her hall pass. In the audience, Gwen could be seen visibly glaring daggers. Chris then continued, "Heather, Alexander, one of you will be eliminated right now. The final hall pass goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Heather!" The queen bee smirked triumphantly as she went up to get her hall pass.

Alexander, visibly untouched by the fact that he lost, simply got up and shrugged, saying, "I knew it was to happen eventually. I don't know if you can all come to terms with this, but by the end, everybody but one will be eliminated. I hope you can realize that." With those final, philosophical words, Alexander exited the auditorium, and later the building, boarded the bus of losers, and left to head to the aftermath studio.

* * *

The teens that had been in the auditorium were leaving. Gwen was still angry, and Trent and Jennifer walked up next to her. "Hey, Gwen," Trent said awkwardly, "I know you are still upset about Leshawna being eliminated, but if I can help, let me know."

Gwen looked up and asked, "Will you two help me get rid of Courtney?"

Jennifer shrugged and responded, "Sure, I know you want her gone, so I'll help."

Trent nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, me too." "Good," Gwen said.

* * *

Bridgette was walking back to the lounge when she ran into Geoff exiting a bathroom. He looked at the ground, scratched his head, and said, "So I guess Alexander was eliminated."

Bridgette nodded and said, "Yeah, Joseph was able to help me."

"Yeah, well I was thinking," Geoff said, "I was thinking that it was stupid to let the choice of who to eliminate separate us. I knew why you wanted to eliminate Alexander, but everything Heather has done, from TDI to yesterday, it just pushed me over the edge. I wanted to eliminate her and that was that. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"

"Geoff, you don't have to apologize. You had your opinion and you wanted to stick to it, and I can respect that," the surfer said.

"You mean it," the party boy asked.

"Of course Geoff, I'm not going to let this competition separate us like it did with Gwen and Trent," replied Bridgette.

Geoff smiled and said, "That's great." The two then shared a sweet, tender kiss.

* * *

The camera switches to the office, where we see Chris sitting in a large chair, his feet propped up on the desk. He then started his closing monologue, saying, "Now at the end of Day 2, Alexander has been eliminated. Who will be the next to leave? How will the teens fare in the war challenge? Will Gwen's thirst for revenge go too far? And will Rebecca ever carry on a conversation that doesn't have to do with anime? Find out the answers to hopefully most of these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Alexander – 5 (Bridgette, Mikey, Megan, Joseph, Noah)

Heather – 4 (Cody, Geoff, Rebecca, Emily)

Courtney – 3 (Gwen, Nicholas Jessie)

**[1] **– The line Chris says is similar to a line from the episode "Who can you trust?" when Heather ripped Gwen's pants off during the rock climbing challenge. Duncan says "You don't see that everyday" to which Chris replies, "No you don't, my man, no you don't."

**[2] **– This is another Dragon Ball Z reference, and probably the last one in this story, save for the aftermath chapters. I plan on referencing other manga until Rebecca's elimination.

**[3] **– This is something that happened to someone in woodshop class when I was in middle school. It wasn't in my class, but it happened to someone I knew.

**[4] **– Perhaps Zeke has a bit of Charlie Brown in him?

**[5] – **This quick exchange between Trent and Jennifer is nearly identical to one that occurred in Kobold Necromancer's Total Drama Battlegrounds. However, in Kobold's story, Leshawna replaces Jennifer.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I rewrote this chapter faster than I thought I would. The next one may be up fairly quickly because I liked the way I wrote it before. For the most part, it will be adding detail. Also there will be two other instances where the next challenge will be mentioned in a chapter before it. Anyways, thanks for reading and I would appreciate it if you would review.


	3. Chapter 3: All School ShootOut

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or any of the characters. The only thing I own are my OC's, the challenges, and thats pretty much it.

* * *

Chris McLean is wearing his standard outfit, except he also has a military issue helmet on his head. He smiles brightly and says, "Last time on Total Drama High School, the competitors went on a scavenger hunt to find props that vaguely had something to do with history. We learned that Gwen and Heather might not have been so different, as each girl kept at least one other competitor from finishing the challenge. Zeke slipped on some water and Alexander took a nap. We even learned that both Mikey and Megan have a secret crush. In the end, our slacker Alexander was sent home. Will Courtney learn of Gwen's treachery? Will we learn of anyone's crush? Will any of the contestants, except for Bridgette and Geoff, kiss? Will Owen get a pay cut for poorly hiding objects? Find out the answers to most of these questions right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

The bus stopped near the main entrance and Chef opened the doors. He grumbled and said, "Get off the bus! Hurry up, I want my paycheck!" Not wanting to upset the army chef, the contestants exited the bus and got close to the front entrance.

Chris was standing outside the doors smiling, still wearing the army helmet. Geoff saw this and happily shouted, "War challenge! I so totally wanted to be in the war challenge on TDA. Now I can be in a war challenge!"

Bridgette wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and said, "What, the paintball challenge on TDI didn't count?"

Geoff scratched his head underneath his hat and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Chris, upset that he hadn't gotten a single word in yet, said, "Guys, pay attention to me!"

"That's right I forgot, our entire lives revolve around you," Noah said sarcastically.

Chris shouted, "You're damn right it does!"

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "That was sarcasm, genius."

Chris scowled and said, "Fine, let's just get this challenge over with. Guys go to the gym. Girls go to the band room. Each team has an assistant who will go more in depth with the challenge."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Heather: Seriously Chris, a battle of the sexes? I'm pretty sure you paired me up with Weird Goth Girl, the psycho hose beast and the C.I. Don't Care just to piss me off. If I could I would kill you. Then again, who doesn't want to kill Chris?

* * *

Team Dudes

The eleven remaining males walked into the gym, not expecting much. They were wondering who the assistant could be. Many assumed it would be either Duncan or Owen, as they were Chris' interns. They walked over to the desk that was set up against the back wall. The desk had a couple computers and what looked like headsets. Next to the desk was a rack of vests and guns. Mikey and Cody smiled as they had guessed what the challenge was to be. They got closer to the desk and were completely shocked when they noticed that Alexander was sitting behind the desk. He looked at the eleven guys and said, "Yo, what's up?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

DJ: Yeah, lets just say that seeing Alexander after he was eliminated yesterday was a bit of a surprise.

* * *

The Hispanic slacker grinned at the team in front of him. He began explaining the challenge, saying, "Well, you already know that today's challenge is a war. It will not just be any war though. You will be playing Laser Tag. Each competitor has a vest, laser gun, and a headset that will allow you to communicate with each other and myself. Don't worry about the girls learning of any surprise tactic you may have planned, because each team has their own encoded channel. It would take some kind of computer genius to scramble the girls encoding signal, or something like that. Anyways, I am here to help direct you all. I can warn you of approaching enemies, at least sometimes. I can tap into about half of the security cameras, and the girls can tap into the other half. At times I can see you, and other times I can't. When you get hit, your gun will deactivate for five seconds and you cannot be shot at during those five seconds. If you are hit five times, you are out, and your vest will weigh you down.** [1]** After you become inactive, wait for one of the interns to free you. You can then report to the Cafeteria, which is off limits to the players still in the challenge, or join me. The team with one player standing wins. The losing team will have to vote someone off. Good luck!"

* * *

Team Ladies

When the girls entered the band room, they found Leshawna. Courtney looked a little nervous, but it went unnoticed by most. They were told the same instructions as the boys. When Leshawna finished instructing her team, they were given a few minutes to strategize. Gwen walked up to her friend and said, "Leshawna, you read to lead us to victory?"

Leshawna smirked and said, "You know I am, girl. Don't really want to work with those two, but what am I going to do?" When Leshawna said this, she pointed to Heather and Courtney.

Gwen smirked and said, "You could always not give instructions to Courtney and Heather."

"Maybe you're right, but I gotta try to help the gals win," Leshawna responded.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: Yeah, Leshawna may think she can lead us, but she was never a CIT. I plan on doing what I think is the right move.

Heather: Like I'll listen to that rapper wannabe. I'm doing this my way.

* * *

Chris' voice rang out over the loudspeaker system and said, "Is everyone ready for a war of a life time? Just so everyone has some extra motivation, the winners get to go to an expensive hotel tonight instead of our crappy little motel. With that, good luck and let the lasers fly!"

* * *

Team Dudes

Before they left, Joseph pulled everyone aside and said, "Guys, I'm going to place you into teams so that nobody gets attacked without backup. Now, I thought over these choices for a while and I believe that they will be the most beneficial. First of all, Zeke, you are with me. Noah, you should work with William. Cody, you would work well with Nicholas, I believe. Mikey, due to your welcoming personality, you are in the group of three along with Trent and Danny. That leaves DJ and Geoff, who should work well due to their friendship." Everyone on the team agreed to the arrangements.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I determined the teams so that I could ideally control the vote should we lose. Zeke is so desperate that he will vote with me, Noah can easily get William's vote, and through Noah I can also get Cody's and Nicholas' votes. It's foolproof, and working with Zeke and William, there are plenty of fools.

* * *

After the challenge began, the girls left the band room and fanned out, forming several small groups. Gwen and Bridgette were one group, Jennifer, Emily, and Megan were a second group, and Jessie and Julie were a third group. Izzy, Courtney, Heather, and Rebecca were working by themselves.

Leshawna glanced at her various monitors and noticed one person heading toward two of the enemy. Leshawna shouted into her headset, "Rebecca, what are you doing? You gonna get trampled out there! Fall back and regroup!"

The anime nerd smirked to herself as she dashed down the hall and said, "No way Leshawna. If I learned anything from the second major plot arc of Naruto, the only ones who can save the day are those that work with as few people as possible. How else did the hidden leaf village manage to repel Orochimaru?"

Leshawna looked dumbfounded as she tried to comprehend what Rebecca just said and responded, "Okay, two things. First of all, I have no idea what the hell you just said. Secondly, that might work for someone like Izzy, but I don't think you could pull it off." Leshawna noticed the enemies had turned around and were now heading toward Rebecca. She shouted, "Rebecca, you gotta get out of there now! Two guys are inbound!"

The two males who were about to reach Rebecca were Joseph and Zeke. "She's just around this corner. You two can take her," Alexander said into his headset.

The two guys turned the corner just as Rebecca responded to Leshawna's instructions. Before she knew what had happened, she was shot by Joseph. She started to jump off of the lockers back and forth across the hallway. When her gun reactivated, she shot Zeke once before Joseph shot her again. Leshawna called out to Rebecca, "Don't be a hero Rebecca! Get out of there and regroup."

The two guys saw her retreat as she shot Joseph once and she was shot a third time. "Don't just stand there, follow her," they heard Alexander say. The two looked at each other, nodded, and dashed down the hall, attempting to catch up with the fast anime nerd.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Rebecca: Well, maybe Leshawna was right. I wasn't expecting the ambush. What would happen next though, let's just say that it surprised me.

Leshawna: (She sighs) Rebecca, you would not be good in the army.

* * *

Alexander was discussing a strategy with four people, saying, "Well, Rebecca will join the two there momentarily. Wait for her arrival and then unleash hell while Joseph and Ezekiel to catch up. The six of you should be able to easily stop the three of them." The four people he was talking to all agreed followed by one giving a thumbs-up to another.

Meanwhile, Rebecca continued her mad escape, and she eventually caught up with Jessie and Julie. Then Leshawna's voice said, "Watch out y'all, I think Noah and William are nearby."

Just as she said this, the pair jumped out from behind a corner and fired off numerous shots. While they did this, Geoff and DJ, who were the other two Alexander had talked to, joined the fray. Geoff shot at the girls and DJ stood his ground in the middle of the hall while the other three stood behind him and fired away. Noah yelled, "DJ, why aren't you shooting them?"

The gentle giant said, "I can't shoot anybody. I'm too nice to." Noah face palmed as he continued to open fire at the girls. The three rookie girls could barely get a single hit on the boys, because DJ continually blocked the shots coming from the girls.

After they had been hit quite a few times, Leshawna called out, "There's no way you can fight them! Try to escape!" The three prepared to depart when their escape route became blocked.

"Well, well, it looks like I finally found you Rebecca," Joseph taunted as he shot Rebecca for the final time and Zeke joined the fray. Not too long afterwards, Julie and DJ fell at the same time. Noah then got the kill shot for Jessie as she fell to the ground.

Alexander looked at his screens and said, "Great job guys. I can see that William and Noah received only one hit each. Good job. Zeke, you aren't looking too good however. Geoff, you and Joseph have only been hit twice." The five guys shared a round of high fives. Alexander urgently responded, "Get out of there now! Izzy is inbound! I repeat Izzy is inbound!" They prepared to leave when Izzy showed up, thirsting for blood.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

DJ: I know that being a shield isn't really helpful in a war challenge, but it's against my nature to shoot others. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with Izzy.

Joseph: Well then, I believe that DJ is the next to go. After all, he didn't want to shoot anybody with a laser gun. Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? They get shot in the eye and are temporarily blinded? I don't see why he should stay.

* * *

Izzy and the five guys, some of whom had been hit, stood waiting for the end to start. Noah and William, who were close to the wall, slowly moved toward it until they made a break for safety. Izzy noticed this and shouted out, "The hunt begins!" She opened fire while Geoff, Joseph, and Ezekiel shot back, also trying to escape. No matter how hard they tried, Izzy could not be hit by any laser. Joseph noticed Ezekiel in front of him, and pushed the home-schooled teen at Izzy. The overachiever then grabbed Geoff and ran off with the party boy, while Izzy dealt with Zeke. Just to be sure that Ezekiel would be taken care of, Joseph shot Zeke once in the back as he escaped. Alexander said to Joseph through the headset, "Not a bad way to escape, but did you really have to push Zeke?"

Joseph responded into his microphone, "I dunno. Why do you ask?"

* * *

As his teammates escaped, Zeke fell into Izzy. The psychopathic redhead then whispered into the prairie boy's ear, "Oh, Zeke, you should know I'm with Owen. I'm not sure how he would feel about this."

Ezekiel, confused as always, shifted so that he could see what had happened. He at first couldn't see his hands, but they were touching something soft. He then noticed that his hands were resting on Izzy's breasts. He freaked out and fell onto the ground. Izzy jumped into the air and landed where she just was as Ezekiel had fallen. She laughed and said, "Zeke, stop it. You know I'm with Owen."

Still confused, Zeke looked up after falling on the ground and saw that he was looking right up Izzy's skirt. "I'm so soory, eh! I didn't mean to! Doon't hurt me," Zeke said as he tried to apologize to the only girl who had truly forgiven him.

She laughed again and said, "Don't worry, this sorta thing happens all the time with a crazy girl like me! It's a good thing I decided to put panties on this morning though." Ezekiel though of a mental image and he immediately fell unconscious. Izzy looked down at him and said, "Oh well, it was fun talking to him. Now to find more prey!" She shot the unconscious prairie boy. As Izzy dashed away, she cackled, "Imma firn mah lazor!" **[2]**

* * *

Cody and Nicholas were slowly walking around an area where Alexander had said there were a few girls nearby. They heard laughing and slammed against the wall in order to better hide themselves. Nicholas, being closer to the wall, slowly looked around the corner and saw Jennifer, Emily, and Megan. He motioned for Cody to slowly retreat and he followed. When Nicholas thought they were a safe distance away, he radioed for help. He asked, "Alexander, come in. Cody and I just found three girls and are wondering if we should intercept."

The slacker looked at one of his monitors and said, "Give me a second. I will contact Joseph and Geoff, who are nearby, to assist."

"Roger that, we will wait for backup," Nicholas responded. Cody and Nicholas then watched each others backs as they waited for their reinforcements. Geoff and Joseph soon showed up, both of who were visibly shaking.

Cody noticed this and asked in a hushed whisper, "What happened to you guys?"

Geoff shook slightly as he muttered a single word, "Izzy."

"Well, three girls are nearby. We should attack them now. I was thinking-," Nicholas was interrupted as he was shot in the back. It caught him off guard and, while attempting to face his attackers, he fell to his knees.

Geoff loudly exclaimed, "Go time dudes!" The three active males leapt into action, figuratively and literally, as Geoff jumped over the kneeling Nicholas. Joseph, quickly shot Emily and Jennifer but was then shot be Megan. Cody responded by shooting Megan. The tech geek aimed his gun at another target but he hesitated when he realized the barrel was aimed at Emily. Cody stood there as Emily shot him, mouthing the words "I'm sorry."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: (The dancer sighs) I feel bad about shooting Cody. I wouldn't have if Courtney and Heather were on a different team. Those two care about winning so much that if you didn't do everything in your power to win, you would be eliminated.

Cody: (He shrugs) I hope Emily doesn't feel bad about shooting me. I don't want her to get eliminated because of me. That would make me feel bad. Now, why I didn't shoot her? Well, that's because it could ruin my chances with her if I shot her.

Joseph: Well that was interesting, Cody couldn't shoot Emily. I could use this against him. In the end, I will still get rid of DJ.

* * *

Nicholas quickly stood up after Geoff shot him and shouted into his microphone, "Alexander, it's your time to shine. Keep an eye out for any other approaching girls and warn us, alright?"

"You got it bro," the slacker replied. The mechanic then shot over Cody's shoulder and struck Emily in the shoulder sensor. Geoff and Joseph were hit by the girls as they continued to defend themselves.

Cody shot Megan once, who then said to her teammates, "One more hit and I'm done for. Cover my escape."

"No problem," was heard through her headset. Megan was confused but she ran off anyways. Suddenly, Izzy appeared out of nowhere. Geoff and Joseph fled instantly.

She laughed almost evilly and said, "Now it is time for you all to be eliminated!" She fired rapidly at Cody and Nicholas, the former of which was running away as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him. Nicholas, ignorant as to the power of Izzy, was confused as to why he was abandoned so quickly. He turned around to see Izzy right up in his face, her gun pointing at his chest. She smirked in victory and shot Nicholas at point-blank, eliminating the mechanic.

* * *

"Retreating target inbound," Alexander alerted Noah and William, who were quietly waiting in the shadows of a doorway. They heard someone running their way.

"Time to get one step closer to ending this," Noah said.

William nodded and said, "You got that right." The duo took up positions in the hallway as Megan turned the corner and saw them blocking her escape. She was then shot and eliminated.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Well that was a surprise. I didn't expect the guys to be all over me. (Goes wide-eyed as she realizes what she said) You realize what I meant by that, right?

* * *

"Oh man," Leshawna complained as she was busy searching her screens, "This could not be any worse!" Rebecca, Jessie, Julie, and Megan had joined her and were helping devise strategies to assist the remaining girls.

"I got it," Rebecca said out loud, "We get either a giant multi-headed snake or a giant toad and have them attack the remaining guys!" **[3]** Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, and she responded, "What?"

Leshawna rolled her eyes and said, "Let's think of something that is actually doable." Just then Gwen contacted Leshawna.

The Goth said, "Leshawna, a couple guys are running away. Is it safe to pursuit?"

Leshawna looked at her screens for a moment and when everything appeared to be safe, she excitedly said, "Go get them girl!"

* * *

Gwen and Bridgette were chasing after Geoff, Joseph, and Cody. The three guys weren't trying to get anywhere, except as far from Izzy as possible. As the two veteran girls were chasing after the boys, Cody's lack of a fine-tuned cardio started to catch up with him. He started to slow down as the gap between him and the girls shortened. When Bridgette and Gwen reached him, Cody weakly said, "Hey girls." He then dropped his gun and held is hands up in the air.

Gwen lowered her weapon slightly and asked, "Wait, are you surrendering?"

The scrawny tech geek nodded and said, "Yeah, I know when I'm beat. I could never stand up to you, well without backup anyways."

Bridgette then said, "Well, we still have to shoot you, you know that right?"

Cody sighed before responding, "Unfortunately, yes I do understand. Can't blame me for trying right?" Just then, Izzy ran by, cackling madly, and shot Cody one final time, eliminating him. The tech geek then shouted, "Oh come on! I surrender and still get eliminated! What the hell?"

Gwen then said to the now downed tech geek, "I'm sorry it had to happen this way. We gotta go." Gwen and Bridgette then dashed away, following Izzy.

* * *

Courtney turned off her headset at the very beginning of the challenge. She was using her hearing to tell if anyone was coming. She silently made her way around the school and stopped when she heard something. She heard ridiculously loud screaming from across the school, which could only mean one thing – Geoff. He was the only contestant, as far as she could tell, who could be that loud. She readied herself behind a corner and waited. Geoff's screaming was becoming louder and louder. He was getting closer to her and she tensed up, awaiting his approach. As soon as the party boy turned the corner and headed toward Courtney, Alexander called out, "Not that way you idiot! Courtney is waiting to defeat you!" His warning was inaudible to Geoff, as his panicked shouting nullified all sound. Courtney then swung her gun outward and tripped Geoff, the party boy becoming sprawled out on the ground. The CIT stood over him and he looked up in fear. She quickly shot Geoff, eliminated him. As this happened, Geoff hoped that Joseph would be able to escape.

* * *

Joseph was not doing better than Geoff. In fact, it was much worse for him. Joseph tried numerous times to elude his pursuers, but his attempts were in vain. The overachiever thought back as to how he got into this mess.

* * *

Four and a Half minutes ago…

Joseph and Geoff lost Cody to the girls and they continued to run. They reached a major crossroads and Joseph said, "Quick, run that way. When they get near, I will run in the opposite direction while saying 'Wait for me, Geoff.' It should cause them to follow me."

"But dude, isn't that like, suicide," Geoff asked.

Joseph looked down and said, "It's the only way. Now go!" Geoff ran off while saying a quick "Good Luck!" Joseph waited for footsteps and then ran down the hallway, yelling, "Wait up Geoff!"

Bridgette and Gwen heard this and dashed after him. The duo met up with Izzy, who was drawing on a piece of paper. Gwen approached the psycho and said, "What are you doing Izzy?"

Izzy looked up and noticed Gwen and said, "Gwen! Oh, and Bridgette too! Perfect! I need the two of you to quickly cut off two hallways up ahead. This leads to a three-way intersection, so if the two of you block the other paths, I can seal off this path and we can take out Joseph!"

"Sounds like a plan, lets do this," Gwen said while smirking.

* * *

This lead to the past minute or so, in which the crazy war machine known as Izzy had chased Joseph, determined to catch the overachiever. Joseph turned a corner in an attempt to lose his chaser, but ran into Gwen. He backed up and then turned around to see Bridgette blocking his only avenue of escape. Joseph then noticed Izzy caught up, completely sealing him off. He looked at the three girls and then uttered a mighty war cry of "For Victory!" He was then shot at by all three of the girls and he was quickly eliminated from the challenge.

* * *

The five remaining males heard a call echo through their headsets. It was Alexander, and he said, "Guys, there are only five of you left. Meet over by the woodshop so that you can formulate a strategy or something."

The five, who were Mikey, Trent, Danny, William, and Noah, all met at the woodshop room. They were silent for a while, until Mikey broke the silence. He said, "What are we gonna do to beat the girls?"

"We need a plan of some sort in order for us to succeed," Danny added.

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "No duh, Sherlock." The honorable teen narrowed his eyes for a moment at the know-it-all.

It remained quiet for another moment before Mikey spoke up again, "Well, I suppose we could use a strategy I employ in Halo with my friends over Xbox Live. See, what we do is we have at least three of us engage some girls in a head-on attack. While that is going on, those of us not in the attack must execute a sneak attack on the girls."

Noah, who had been listening to the purported plan carefully, said, "Well, it's risky, but it's the only plan we got. I assume that you will be in the sneak attack?"

The gamer smiled and said, "You know it, my smart friend. Now, who will accompany me, assuming that two people partake in the sneak attack?"

"It cannot be me, for that is not honorable. I would normally not condone this behavior, but seeing how things stack up against us, it may be our only option," Danny responded.

William scratched the back of his head and had a sheepish grin on his face as he said, "Yeah, I'm probably too loud to help you when it comes to stealth. Sorry dude."

"I will volunteer for this mission," Noah offered.

"Glad to have your assistance," Mikey remarked.

"Come in guys," Alexander called in, "Heather is arguing with Emily and Jennifer. They are distracted so this would be an ideal time for a sneak attack."

"Gotcha, where are they," Trent inquired. Alexander then relayed the directions to the group and they moved out, ready to make a comeback.

* * *

On the second floor, not too far off from where the science department was located, Heather was arguing with Emily and Jennifer. "Heather, why don't you help us, it will make it easier for all of us, plus it would make you look like someone worth keeping around," Emily reasoned.

Heather scoffed and said, "Yeah, like I would help two rookies."

Danny loudly called out, "For Honor!"

Trent called out equally loud, "For Music!"

William yelled louder than the others, "For my Sanity!"

Jennifer shook her head and said, "Heather, you don't have much of a choice. Abandonment is the same as treason."

"What, are we in the army now," Heather mocked.

Emily then said, "It might as well be, we are in a war challenge!"

The three girls took fighting stances, ready to combat the trio of incoming boys. The three ran into sight, their guns blazing. Emily, light on her feet from being a dancer, was able to dodge the lasers. Heather was also able to dodge some lasers, due to her short-lived dancing career. Jennifer tried her best to dodge the shots that flew at her. Trent was holding his own when he noticed he hit Jennifer. He looked panicked for a moment and yelled out, "Sorry!"

She smiled and said, "Its okay, I could forgive you of almost anything!"

Danny said to his teammates, "Damn these girls are harder to shoot than I thought. Where the hell is Noah and Mikey?"

* * *

Noah and Mikey were currently sneaking through a hallway that paralleled the hallway that the fight was taking place in. Noah was walking slowly next to a cardboard box that was moving along the ground. Inside the cardboard box was Mikey, who was attempting to use the box for camouflage. "Mikey there is no way somebody will fall for that disguise, except for Lindsay maybe," Noah said in a cynical whisper, "So stop acting like Solid Snake and get out from under there."

"Not until the time is right," Mikey responded. The two continued moving in silence until they were positioned behind the girls. Mikey then emerged from the box and loudly said, "Kept you waiting, huh." **[4]**

The three girls turned around, completely caught off guard by the tactic. Mikey and Noah immediately shot at the girls. Heather noticed the disadvantage that she was in and so she shot William a fifth time, so that he slumped over defeated. The queen bee then pushed Jennifer into Trent and Danny. Heather dashed off while this happened. Danny saw this and gave chase shouting, "Get back here you damned dishonorable she-witch!"

Trent caught the falling performing artist. She looked up dreamily into his eyes and he looked back into her eyes until he felt Jennifer get heavier. Trent held onto his love interest as long as possible until he couldn't and gently placed her onto the floor. Noah then lowered his gun and said, "Now if you are done Romeo, we must locate our warrior friend."

Trent rolled his eyes at Noah's comment and said, "You're right, we should find Danny." Noah, Trent, and Mikey then ran in the direction that Danny had run off to.

Emily tried to reposition herself so she could face her fellow rookies and she then said, "I totally think Trent likes you, Jennifer."

William agreed and said, "Yeah, I could tell the look in his eyes. It was if he had seen a goddess."

Jennifer then blushed slightly and said, "I think he might, I would like that. I could tell from earlier that Cody's got some feelings for you. I mean he didn't shoot you at all."

"I kinda hope so. Jennifer, let's agree to try to get together with our crushes by the end of the season," the dancer replied.

Jennifer smiled and said, "Definitely."

* * *

Trent, Mikey, and Noah were running down the hall when they saw two downed figures. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that they were Danny and Heather. Mikey looked on and said, "Oh my god, what the hell happened?"

Danny groaned and said, "Izzy happened. I was gaining on the queen bee here and about to go for the kill shot when I hear this demonic war cry. Izzy raced through and shot off lasers in all directions, resulting in the elimination of both Heather and myself."

Noah then commented, "Damn, Izzy is really destroying out here."

"If we lose, I am so getting rid of that psycho hose-beast! I can't believe she was crazy enough to shoot her own teammate," Heather griped.

"Just shut up Heather," a whiny voice said, "Izzy took me down and you don't hear me bitching about it."

Heather scoffed and said, "Which is a first for you, Courtney. You normally complain about everything!"

"Don't make me vote for you, Heather," Courtney threatened.

"Like I'm scared of you," Heather replied.

Noah rolled his eyes in disgust and said to Mikey and Trent, "Come on guys, let's leave these two to argue and find us some remaining targets.

Alexander then called in and said, "Just got in the latest statistics, and it's all tied up. Fortunately, Gwen and Bridgette are nearby. Unfortunately, Izzy is out there somewhere."

Mikey responded, "Roger that. We are on our way."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: To be honest, I'm surprised the sneak attack strategy worked. It rarely works in Halo, due to radars and such.

Noah: I have to give Mikey some credit. His gaming strategy saved us. However, if I had enough time, I could've thought of a better strategy.

Izzy: So Izzy sees three people running at each other. So Izzy asks her friend E-scope to help her. E-scope shoots everybody at the intersection and then leaves. Izzy thinks E-scope hit Courtney, but its okay 'cause Izzy is gonna win this!

Courtney: Stupid Izzy with her stupid craziness and this stupid game, and it's all because of stupid contracts that that stupid host Chris came up with because his stupid mind thinks it's funny if he torments teenagers. It's so stupid.

* * *

After a minute of traveling, the boys engage Gwen and Bridgette. The shoot-out begins anew for the boys, having been barely five minutes since their last skirmish. Noah and Bridgette were eliminated almost simultaneously. Mikey noticed Trent wasn't shooting Gwen at all and so he said, "Trent, what the hell are you doing? You have to shoot Gwen."

"I suppose you're right. Forgive me Gwen," Trent muttered as he eliminated Gwen.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Trent: I don't know what to say. I didn't want to shoot Gwen because of our past relationship, yet at the same time I had no excuse. I'm a mess, aren't I?

Gwen: Trent had better realize that he can be competitive with me. We aren't dating and fine with just being friends. Someone will probably use Trent if he continues to find working against me difficult.

* * *

The gamer wiped some sweat off of his forehead and pushed some of his dark brown hair out of his eyes. He looked at Trent and said, "So now only Izzy remains."

Trent nodded and said, "Yeah, we are so screwed."

As if fate meant it to be, Izzy arrived, ready to fight the two remaining guys. The psychotic female started to shoot madly at the guys. It took all of their skill to avoid her shots. On the other hand, Izzy was dodging Mikey and Trent's shots like they were nothing. Izzy eventually wore Trent down and he fell to the ground, eliminated.

Now only Mikey stood for the boys. "So it comes down to this," Mikey said as he faced his opponent.

Izzy nodded and said, "Yep, but now you will fall." The one-on-one shooting commenced.

Mikey soon realized that only one more hit would eliminate him, so he charged the crazy girl. He tripped her with his gun and shot her once. This would later be recorded as one of the biggest mistakes of the season. Izzy leapt back up and hit Mikey with her gun, sending him flying into the wall. He hit the wall hard and fell to the ground, unconscious. Izzy said, "I'm sorry it had to end this way," and shot Mikey one final time, ending the war.

* * *

After the weights on the packs had deactivated and all of the incapacitated contestants, except Mikey, who was still unconscious, had gotten up, the loudspeaker crackled with life. Chris' voice said, "For the most part, that was the most epic fight I have ever seen, on a reality show at least. There's no way you could beat the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan." **[5]**

Chef's voice was also heard, as he said, "Of course not, pretty boy. A bunch of teenagers can't match a cinematic masterpiece! Also, where the hell is my paycheck?"

Chris stammered momentarily before responding, "Um, we can figure that all out later, Chef. Anyways congrats girls, you all win immunity, as well as the trip to the hotel. Now, elimination is in about an hour, and would somebody please take Mikey to the nurse's office and make sure he's, you know, not dead. I can't handle another lawsuit after Courtney's last season. McLean out!"

* * *

In the nurse's office, Mikey was being checked for injuries by a female intern in a nurse's outfit. Suffice to say, it was better than having Chef in a nurse's outfit. The intern wrote a few things down and exited the room. At his bedside were Megan, Geoff, Bridgette, Noah, and Trent. He started to stir and moaned as he opened his eyes, "Oh, what happened?"

Noah replied, "Nothing."

Mikey raised an eyebrow and said, "Really?" **[6]**

Trent said, "No, Izzy slammed you into the wall and you fell unconscious. How do you feel?"

"Like crap. I have a headache and my back hurts." The female intern then walked in a placed a cup on the bedside table.

She smiled and pushed some of her light brown hair out of the way of her hazel eyes and said, "Glad to see you're awake. That was a pretty hard hit you had. Nothing too serious, at most a rib might be broken, so you gotta get some rest today and take it easy the next couple of challenges. It should be healed enough for more strenuous stuff in about five days. There are a couple painkillers in that cup if the pain starts getting to you. Oh, and you can leave. Just be wary that the elimination is in about twenty minutes. You were out cold for forty-five minutes." With that the intern left the room again.

"Look, guys I have some business to attend to before the elimination so I will see you later," Noah said as he got up and left.

Mikey looked up at Geoff and Trent and said, "Can you guys get DJ and bring him here? I want to discuss the elimination with the three of you."

"Sure thing Dude," Geoff said.

Trent replied, "No problem."

This left Mikey alone with the girls. Bridgette broke the uneasy silence and said, "You know, it was pretty stupid of you to try and trip Izzy. Look at what happened to you because of it!"

"I know it was a mistake. The glory of winning took over my mind and I end up hospitalized, kinda, because of it," Mikey solemnly replied.

Megan walked over and hugged him, saying, "Don't worry, at least you weren't hurt too badly."

The gamer winced and said, "But tight hugs hurt a little."

The nice girl pulled away, blushing, and replied, "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to hurt."

"It's okay, no harm done," Mikey said with a slight smile. At this moment Geoff and Trent came back in with DJ. Mikey noticed this and said, "I don't mean to be rude, but is it all right if the four of us talk about elimination in private?" Bridgette and Megan nodded and proceeded to leave the room. As they left, Megan looked over at Bridgette who merely shrugged her shoulders. This left the four friends alone in the room. "I gathered you all here so we could discuss who to eliminate," Mikey said, "The person I am thinking of is not very useful and is not seen to be of any help in the coming challenges. The person who I am thinking of is…"

* * *

Noah, who had left Mikey's room in the nurse's office a few minutes earlier, had already conferred with Joseph. Their feeling was mutual as to who they wanted to eliminate. Noah had approached Cody and said, "Cody, I need a favor."

"Sure, what do ya need," the tech geek asked.

"I would like you and Nicholas to vote for someone," Noah replied.

Cody shrugged and said, "Well, who did you have in mind?"

Noah responded, "I would like for you to vote for…"

* * *

Joseph approached another one of the male contestants. He asked the mystery contestant, "Can you help me in the vote?"

The person said, "I suppose. Who were you thinking of?"

"I was thinking of voting for DJ. All he did was act as a shield during the challenge, and therefore did not help to attain our goal. He never fired a single laser," Joseph replied.

"That is not right. I will help you," the mystery contestant said.

Joseph smiled somewhat darkly and said, "That is just what I wanted to hear."

The P.A. system then came to life and Chris said, "Boys, it's time to vote! Also, I need everybody in the auditorium for the elimination, as I have a special announcement. See you in ten!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I regret that it had to end this way, but DJ has got to go.

Mikey: Truth be told, I don't think you are of much use Zeke.

Ezekiel: Noah's been pretty suspicious the past few challenges.

* * *

Every contestant was in the auditorium, sitting in various places. All of the guys were in the front rows. Bridgette was sitting behind Geoff, and Jennifer was sitting across the isle from Trent. Megan was in the front row since she was helping Mikey get around for the time being. Courtney and Izzy were near the back, along with their boyfriends, as even the interns decided to show up for some reason. Chris entered the auditorium and proceeded to stand by the podium. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, did everyone have fun today?" There was no response. Chris then said, "Well, my special announcement is that everyone, except the eliminated contestants is going to the hotel tonight!" Wild cheers were heard from everyone and Chris had to use his infamous air horn to get the rowdy teens to quiet down. When Chris saw that everybody had calmed down, he continued, "You see, as a result of someone's injury, I begged them not to sue. He promised not to on two conditions. The first was that everyone goes to the hotel tonight. The second thing was that the hotel is the lodging until he is healed." Everyone started to thank Mikey profusely until Chris had to use his air horn and megaphone in order to continue speaking. "Now then, everyone has voted. Mikey, you have a question?"

The gamer nodded and said, "Yeah, do you mind tossing my pass to me, my back is really sore."

Chris nodded and then said, "Whoever does not get a hall pass must immediately walk down the hall of shame, get on the bus of losers, and you can never come back. EVER!" Some of the people who had yet to go to an elimination ceremony cringed at this statement. Chris resumed speaking, "Hall passes go to Mikey, Trent, Geoff, Nicholas, Joseph, Cody, William, and Danny. The second to last hall pass goes to..."

…

…

…

…

"Noah! DJ, Zeke, this is the final hall pass of the night. One of you will be leaving Total Drama High School. The final hall pass goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Ezekiel!" The prairie boy looked surprised as he walked up to claim his hall pass.

DJ, however, slumped over in defeat. He mumbled, "I can see why you guys voted me off. I didn't help during the challenge. I guess I deserved this." The gentle giant got up and walked the hall of shame and got on the bus of losers along with Leshawna and Alexander.

* * *

Joseph was walking down the hall of the school to the bathroom before they departed for the hotel. "Another day, another person who doesn't suspect me is eliminated. Now to begin plotting my next move," the evil overachiever said while chuckling darkly.

* * *

Chris watched this unfold from a screen that was behind his desk in the principal's office. He then closed the show by saying, "Man that guy really works well for ratings! Well, in any event another day of Total Drama High School has come to a close. What events will occur during the next challenge? Will any relationships bloom? Will anyone figure out Joseph is evil? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet, next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

DJ- 6 (Noah, Joseph, Cody, William, Nicholas, Danny)

Ezekiel- 4 (Mikey, Trent, DJ, Geoff)

Noah- 1 (Ezekiel)

**[1]** – Yet another reference to The Kobold Necromancer's almighty story, Total Drama Battlegrounds.

**[2]** – Do you think Izzy's seen the Lazor Collection?

**[3]** – Now Rebecca is making a Naruto reference.

**[4]** – This is what Snake says in the cutscene of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary when he is first revealed.

**[5]** – Saving Private Ryan is not owned by me. It does not change the fact that it is epic.

**[6]** – This is a reference to the great Youtube Poop video, Dinner Blaster.

* * *

Authors Note: Another chapter finished! Sorry it took so long, I became inspired and started a second story, Total Drama Zombieland. Check it out if you haven't yet. I'm going to finish chapter 2 of TDZ before rewriting chapter 4 of this story. Also, a push for me to finish this chapter came in the form of my first review for this story, so if you want me to write faster, please review. Also, let me know what you think of my OC's. Also, next chapter will have more interactions, which this chapter lacked. I was trying to focus on the action as this is one of the few chapters with action. By the way, I am accepting challenge ideas. The only requirement is that they must somehow tie into some aspect of school. If you can come up with a solid challenge about Biology, chances are I will use it! Just describe the challenge and if it is a team challenge or an individual challenge. Thanks for taking the time to read this!


	4. Chapter 4: Woodshop Woes

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama. Why would you think that?

* * *

Once again Chris McLean was standing in front of the high school, which now had the words 'Chris McLean High School' visibly written on the brick of the building with white paint. He smiles his normal, sadistic grin and says, "Last time on Total Drama High School, we had an epic game of laser tag! We pitted the boys against the girls and there was some exceptional shooting on each side. Izzy was clearly the MVP, as she wasn't hit once until the end, which resulted in Mikey having a couple of broken ribs. DJ was eliminated by the rest of the males because he didn't shoot a single laser. Anyways, how can I torment these money-hungry teens today? Can Mikey cope with the challenge even though he has a few broken ribs? Will any fighting break out? And will the interns actually do something for a change? Find out the answers to all these questions right here, right now, on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

When the bus returned from the hotel, the remaining competitors exited, followed by Chris and Chef. As Chris led the students to their challenge destination, numerous people could be seen glancing at others, for various reasons. Heather and Courtney were glaring at Izzy for her actions in the previous challenge. Joseph was glancing over some of the competition, Mikey, Trent, Courtney, and Rebecca in particular. Megan was looking at Mikey worriedly, since she wanted to make sure he was all right. Chef was glaring at Chris, since the host of the show had yet to give him a paycheck this season.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I have been thinking that due to the unpredictable nature of the teams, my alliance could be better if we had another member. I already have numerous candidates in mind. Mikey is a potential ally due to his injury, Trent can be easily persuaded if I threaten Gwen or Jennifer, Courtney is not liked by some and Rebecca is not very popular at all. Although, there are reasons as to why anyone could be my alliance-mate.

Mikey: Oh man, my friend is so going to lose our bet! I've already made seven friends: Gwen, DJ, Julie, Geoff, Bridgette, Megan, and Trent. I'm pretty sure more friends are to follow.

Chef: (The army chef looks around) Am I allowed to use this? Meh, I don't really care. Pretty Boy better watch out though, I haven't gotten my paycheck yet and I want my money! If I don't get paid, I'm going to pull some prank or something on Chris, just not so sure what yet.

* * *

Chris eventually leads the students across the school to a large set of double doors. He clears his throat before proclaiming, "Good morning students! For those who have never ventured to this region of the school, this is the woodshop! You will all be split into teams of three and will have to construct something out of wood. You will have until one-thirty to finish your project, at which time it will be judged. I will be one of the judges along with Duncan, Owen, and Beth."

"Yes! Izzy knows Big O will definitely pick Izzy's team," Izzy shouted happily.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, I didn't see that coming. Well at least I know Duncan will pick my team. He would have to be an idiot not to pick mine."

"Funny you should mention that," Chris said with a smirk, "Because the first team is Izzy, Courtney, and Heather!"

"There is no way I am working with that crazy psycho hose-beast! Put me on a different team," Heather said spitefully.

Courtney narrowed her eyes and said, "I hate to agree with the she-devil here, but yeah, switch her to a different team."

Chris smiled and said, "Nope! Once your team is picked, there is no switching whatsoever! So what I say goes!"

"Great to see you're feeling narcissistic," Gwen muttered at the glorified host.

Chris raised an eyebrow and said, "I heard that, Gwen. Speaking of which, Team 2 is Gwen, Trent, and Jennifer!"

"Isn't this great, Trent? We get to work together! This is going to be awesome," Jennifer gleefully cheered as she quickly hugged Trent. She realized what she was doing and said while blushing, "Sorry, I don't know what came into me."

Trent, oblivious to what had occurred, said, "Yeah, that's great," while he was thinking about how perilous working with his ex-girlfriend and his fan could be.

Chris watched this drama unfold and said with a smile, "Now the third team is Mikey, Megan, and Ezekiel."

Megan smiled and said to Mikey, "Good thing we're teammates. This makes it easier for me to help you if you get hurt."

The gamer smiled and said, "Thank you for caring about my well being so much."

Ezekiel, who was acting more and more like a loner, simply shrugged.

"Let's keep things going with Team 4, comprised of Noah, Cody, and Emily," Chris said over-exuberantly.

"Oh joy, the rabid fan girls are going to say that Cody and I are lovers. How can I contain my excitement," Noah said sarcastically.

Emily frowned and said, "Not if they see him with me. That will prove he isn't gay. I can't say I can help you though."

Noah grew a scowl on his face and said, "Hey! I like girls!" **[1]**

"Guys, please try to work together. Or do we want to end up in elimination," Cody reasoned.

Chris said, "Hey, back to me! The people want to see more of me and my beautiful face, not you stupid teens." Many of the contestants scowled at the host until he resumed speaking, "Anyways, the fifth team is going to be Geoff, Bridgette, and Joseph!"

"Righteous! I get to be with my lady," Geoff said loudly.

Joseph looked at his teammates and said, "I'm fine with it so long as we can get some work done. I would not appreciate it if the two of you made out the entire challenge."

"That's fine. I have to forgive you for helping me the other day, anyways," Bridgette said.

"Seriously, stop talking! People watch this show for me! Anyways, the sixth team is Nicholas, Jessie, and Danny." The three teens just shrugged their shoulders and stood together. Dumbfounded, Chris asked, "Wait, you guys don't have anything to say?"

"Not really. We haven't really done much so far," Nicholas responded with a shrug.

Chris shrugged as well and said, "Okay then. The final team by default is Rebecca, William, and Julie. Each team will be assigned a work bench and has a set of tools. The wood that will be used for the challenge is located in the back of the room, inside the large storage room. Power tools are to be shared among all the teams and are first come, first serve. Lunch will be served at noon, and again, the projects will be graded at 1:30. So with that, have fun!" Chris opened the large doors and let the twenty-one teens enter the woodshop.

* * *

Team 1 (Courtney, Heather, Izzy)

The unlikely trio walked over to the work bench and started to look over the tools and other supplies they had available. In actuality, Courtney and Izzy were looking over the things that had to work with. Heather was standing to the side, filing her nails. She rudely said, "Well, what are you making Courtney?"

While Courtney appeared to be deep in thought, Izzy was chatting up a storm, "Izzy's friend Explosivo suggests we make a cannon! That reminds me of this time I went to a pirate museum, I pretended to be Capitan Izzy, and pointed the cannon at the wall. I lit the fuse, but then the cannon actually fired! It was so cool, but then the owners told me I could never come back."

"I got it! The easiest way for us to win would be to play to the judges interests. Beth loves her farm, Duncan's favorite thing is vandalism, Owen lives for food, and Chris' universe revolves around himself," Courtney happily stated.

Heather rolled her eyes and scoffed, saying, "That still doesn't tell us what we are making. I though you were a CIT. I never knew you would have trouble coming up with an idea."

"Well obviously we make something that incorporates one of those themes. Perhaps we can make a giant version of the skull Duncan carved for me when we were on Total Drama Island. I don't see you coming up with anything better, Heather," Courtney said coldly.

"Yeah, my idea for a wooden fridge wouldn't have worked," Izzy said out of the blue.

Heather raised an eyebrow at the crazy girl's response and then rolled her eyes and said, "May as well make our project extra difficult and incorporate all the themes."

Courtney's eyes gleamed with inspiration (Whatever that may look like) and said, "You know, I can't stand you, but that was a great idea."

"You do realize that was sarcasm, don't you," Heather asked.

Courtney chuckled slightly and said, "Yeah, I don't really care. We're going to make a long bench with pictures of a barn, a skull, some type of food, and Chris' head and we are virtually guaranteed to win." The CIT walked off to get enough wood for the project while Izzy pulled out nails, screws, a hammer, an electric drill, and a couple of markers.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: (The CIT looks determined) Look, I may still be mad at Izzy because of the last challenge and frustrated with Heather because, well she's Heather, but that won't stop me from winning this challenge. I lost immunity the first two challenges and I refuse to lose it any more.

* * *

Team 2 (Gwen, Trent, Jennifer)

Trent along with his ex-girlfriend and his possible new one walked over to their bench and saw what they had to work with. While looking over their inventory, Trent was on edge about his predicament. "Hey, Trent, you listening? We could use some ideas," Gwen said.

Trent, whose concentration had been broken, said, "What?"

Jennifer placed her hand on his forehead and said, "We were trying to think of something to make for the challenge. Are you feeling alright? You don't seem like yourself today."

"I just have something else on my mind," Trent said.

Gwen shrugged and said, "Okay, well in that case, what do you think would be a good thing to make for the challenge."

"I don't really know. I personally would make something music related, but if you want to do something different, that's fine," Trent said with a shrug.

Gwen smiled and said, "I'm cool with that. The question is what could be made? Simply saying something music-related leaves a lot of room for interpretation."

"Well, what about a guitar? I mean, Trent and I play the guitar already, so we could base the shape off of one of our guitars and then we could teach you lessons," Jennifer said excitedly.

Gwen smiled again and said, "That sounds like a great idea. Okay, so can you get the wood Jennifer? I need to talk to Trent for a moment."

The performing artist nodded and said, "Sure thing," before she departed to get supplies for the guitar. This left Trent alone with Gwen.

Gwen walked up to him, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "So what's wrong Trent?"

The musician responded, "I don't know what you mean."

"Well, ever since Chris announced our team, you've been acting really weird. You do realize that we are just friends. Jennifer really likes you; I think you should give her a chance," the gothic teen said.

"I guess you're right. For some reason I felt like I could win you back, but if you want to just friends, I can respect that," Trent said.

Gwen smirked and said, "I'm glad we could straighten this out. Now go help Jennifer with the wood, which should earn you some points in her book, so to speak." Trent nodded and headed toward where Jennifer was supposed to be.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: It feels good to see Trent back to his old self. I'm just as glad to see that he is no longer trying to win me back. It was getting kind of annoying. I hope that he makes the right move with Jennifer.

* * *

Team 3 (Mikey, Megan, Ezekiel)

Megan was supporting Mikey as he walked, so that he would not hurt himself. This may have been slightly unnecessary because Mikey was not hurt too badly, but he was not objecting. The pair was talking about a video game as they approached the table. When they got there, Ezekiel said, "So, what do yoo think we should make, eh?"

Megan looked up and said, "I don't know, we could do something generic, like a chair or a table."

"Hold it!Something just dawned on me," Mikey said.

Megan asked, "What did you think of Mikey?"

The gamer smirked and said, "We can make a cabinet that is designed to hold any and all of the current-gen gaming consoles."

"Objection! That seems overly complex. What is so wrong with the idea that Megan suggested," Zeke interjected.

Mikey shook his index finger at Zeke for a moment before saying, "You don't seem to understand. If we make the project more complex, then the judges will be more impressed with our creation. Ergo, we will be more likely to win!"

Ezekiel gulped before saying, "Oh yeah, well do you have any proof?"

Mikey smirked and said, "Indeed I do. Back on TDI, during the bicycle race, Chris took a liking to the more complex bike design. So Take That!"**[2]**

Megan stepped in and said, "Okay you two, let's just go with Mikey's idea. I'm pretty sure that if implemented correctly, we can win. So what is the plan Mikey?"

"I'm glad you asked. You see, on the bottom it can hold accessories and controllers. Then there's a shelf that holds games. Finally there can be a shelf with custom-cut removable pieces of wood to accommodate any of the current consoles," the gamer said.

"That is such a great idea," Megan said happily before hugging Mikey, who had the faintest of blushes covering his cheeks.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Man, I will never get tired of getting hugs from her. I can't believe how nice she is, and I'm glad she's helping me to recuperate after my accident.

Zeke: You knoo, I don't noo why Mikey doesn't listen to common sense, eh. Megan's idea would've worked fine, but Mikey doosnt' listen.

* * *

Team 4 (Noah, Cody, Emily)

Noah was sitting at the table reading a novel. Cody and Emily looked at him for a minute or two until he responded without looking up from his book, "Why do you keep staring at me?"

Emily raised an eyebrow and said, "We were trying to see if you would do any work during this challenge, but I can see that I was mistaken."

"Alright fine, I'll help," Noah said slightly annoyed.

Emily smiled and turned her attention to Cody, and said, "So what do you want to make Cody?"

"Yes Cody, what do you want to make," Noah asked in an annoyed tone.

Cody frowned and said, "You don't have to be an asshole about it Noah."

"It's great to think my friend thinks so highly of me," Noah remarked sarcastically.

"No, that's not what I meant," Cody said, trying to apologize.

Noah merely shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay."

Cody then tapped his chin in thought for a moment before saying, "Now, back onto topic, I think something simple, yet practical would be an ideal thing to make. So maybe a chair or a table, I guess."

"I don't think we should go with one of those options. They are almost too simplistic. We don't want another team to make the same thing we are," Noah interjected.

Emily looked at the sarcastic know-it-all and asked, "If you're so smart, what do you suggest we do?"

Noah remained quiet for a moment before responding, "Well, a simple thing to make that the others may not think of is a bookcase. Plus, we may get extra points from the judges for having it relate to one of us, in which case a bookcase would suffice."

Cody nodded and said, "Well, I suppose that would work. I'll go get the materials."

"Would you like any help," Emily asked.

"Sure Emily; thanks for asking," the tech geek replied.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Ugh, I'm starting to get tired of the competition. I mean, it's called Total Drama High School, but have we done anything really academic? All we've done is gotten to know other people, have a scavenger hunt, and shoot at each other. Now we have to build something out of wood. Way to play to my academic abilities Chris.

* * *

Team 5 (Geoff, Bridgette, Joseph)

It had been two minutes since his group had gotten to their workspace, and Joseph hadn't gotten up from his seat. It was not a factor of him being lazy; instead, he was watching Bridgette and Geoff as they were in a passionate make-out session. He knew they had work to do, but he couldn't look away; it was like one of those car accidents you can't look away from. Another couple of minutes and the two finally broke their kiss so that they could breath.

Joseph, now out of his trance, raised an eyebrow and asked the couple, "So do you plan on doing that often?"

Bridgette grew a small blush and responded, "Well, not during the challenge, if that's what you mean."

"Glad to hear it," Joseph said with a smile before saying, "So, what would you lovebirds like to make?"

Again, Bridgette blushed and said, "I don't know. Perhaps we could make something practical, like a towel rack or a spice rack."

Geoff stifled back a laugh and said, "Or maybe we could make a hair gel rack for Chris." Geoff couldn't contain himself and began to laugh.

"Actually, that seems like it would be perfect enough to work," Joseph said with a smirk as he interrupted the party guy's laughter.

"I was kinda kidding, but hey if you think that would work dude, go right ahead," Geoff said as he recovered from his laughing fit.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Geoff: A hair gel rack, I can't believe Joseph took me seriously! I was just joking, but I know that when those overachiever dudes set their minds to something, they won't change it.

* * *

Team 6 (Nicholas, Jessie, Danny)

The three rookies stood in silence as they tried to come up with an idea that could earn them immunity. Occasionally one of the three would open their mouths as if to say something, only to close it a moment later.

This would continue for a couple of minutes until Nicholas finally said, "Okay, I'm seriously tired of this silence. So I think that we could make an automatic swinging bench. The only thing I would have to do was get my hands on a motor, and we would be set."

Danny shook his head and said, "I wish I could agree with you, but seeing as how this is woodshop, it seems dishonorable to use something that would not normally be used. It would pose as a disadvantage."

"Well, what if we make a normal swinging bench, with a canopy? The only other thing we would need would be a metal-link chain," Jessie offered.

Danny contemplated the words of the shy girl and finally said, "I suppose as long as it is not powered by electricity, I can agree with it."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: (The mechanic sighs) I'm seriously bumming right now. I know that I wouldn't get to exhibit my prowess in mechanics often, but the first opportunity when I could get my team an easy win, Mr. Honor says I can't. So the way I see it is that if my team loses it is solely Danny's fault.

* * *

Team 7 (Rebecca, Julie, William)

Unlike the other team comprised entirely of rookies, Rebecca and William were full of energy. Rebecca was jumping slightly as she said exuberantly, "C'mon guys, let's make some weapons!"

William responded, "Yeah, I wanna make me a sword!"

Drawing from her vast knowledge of anime, Rebecca said, "I could make some kunai or shuriken, perhaps even a giant shuriken! Or I could craft a Soul Reaper sword form Bleach! Or maybe I could replicate Zabuza's or Kisame's sword from Naruto!"

Julie spoke up somewhat quietly, "I really don't like the idea of all this, but I suppose if it's what you want, we can go with it."

Rebecca gleefully shouted, "Yeah Team 7 is gonna rock the house!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Julie: (The optimist face-palms) Why didn't I try to change their minds? This is a terrible idea and my team is probably going to lose.

* * *

The camera is now back by the entrance to the woodshop, where there is a table with four chairs set up. Chris, who is sitting in the far right seat, looks at his fellow judges and says, "So, knowing only the members of the teams, who do you think is going to win?"

The judge to Chris' immediate left is leaning back in his chair and appeared to be napping. He opened one eye and looked at Chris and said, "You wanna know who I think is going to win, McLean?"

"Yeah, I want to know who you think will win immunity Duncan. That's kind of why I asked," the handsome host replied.

The punk smirked and said, "To be completely honest, I know Princess is going to win. It doesn't matter that she's paired up with Heather and Izzy, 'cause knowing her, she'll do anything to win. Besides her, I'm betting that little know-it-all will win. That nerd doesn't want to lose in school; this is his turf after all."

Chris nodded his head and said, "And what about you Owen? Who do you suppose is going to win?"

The lovable winner of season one was currently having a piece of pie and looked up, blue filling covering his face. He said, "Who do I think will win? Well, I agree with Duncan, I think with Izzy helping Courtney, their team will win. Besides them, I think Gwen's team will win. I don't really know why, just that Gwen and Trent are two of my favorite people. They're just so awesome!"

Chris looked down the line even further to see Beth doing what looked like texting. "Which teams do you think will win, Beth," Chris asked the wannabe.

She looked up from her phone and said, "Oh, well I think Mikey and Megan are a good team, so I'm rooting for their team. I also think Geoff's team will win, because they have the overachiever."

Chris smiled sadistically and said, "So I guess nobody thinks the two teams of rookies have a chance. Well, that's your guys opinions I guess. I'm legally obligated not to have one so that there doesn't appear to be any favoritism. But legal didn't say anything about you guys! Anyways, keep yourselves busy for a little while longer. I'm going to go take a nap. I'll be back at about 1."

* * *

Team 1 (Courtney, Heather, Izzy)

All was not well at the work station for Team 1. "Hurry up with those nails Izzy! We need to get this all put together so that the wood finish will have time to dry! If the wood finish is not dry, then the judges can't test the bench," Courtney yelled.

The next thing Courtney heard was what sounded like gunshots going off. Courtney ducked down quickly as nails hit the exact spots that they were supposed to be. Courtney shrieked, "What the hell was that?"

"Izzy found a nail gun and used it," Izzy chirped happily.

"You are seriously going to hurt somebody, crazy psycho girl. Just make sure that somebody isn't me," Heather remarked nastily as she made her way to the table, a can of wood finish in her hand.

Courtney angrily asked, "Why were you gone for an hour? It shouldn't be that hard to find a can of wood finish in there."

"I wasn't about to walk in there alone and risk breaking a nail," Heather replied while not looking at Courtney.

Courtney shrieked, "You could have cost us the challenge because you were risking breaking a nail?"

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "You should be lucky I even got the wood finish in the first place. I was lucky enough to have William walk by. That kid is a sucker for a pretty face."

"Hey! My new friend isn't stupid! Watch out or else I will attack," Izzy growled angrily.

Courtney face-palmed amid all the chaos and said, "You know what, now is not the time to argue. If you two want to argue, go to lunch or something and do it there. I have to work on carving the symbols and then apply the wood finish, so if you wouldn't mind, leave me alone."

"I would rather be somewhere else anyways," Heather said coldly.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: Heather and Izzy weren't really helping today. Okay, that was a lie, Izzy was trying to help but it seemed like it was harder for me to work than normal. Well, I know one thing; if we lose, I'm going to get rid of Heather.

Izzy: (She is grinning wickedly as she holds a can of wood finish that has some device with a digital timer on it) So, Explosivo told me to put this device on the can of wood finish, then it goes by the bench, and then it goes "Boom Boom!" After that, the whole bench should have wood finish on it!

* * *

Team 2 (Gwen, Trent, Jennifer)

Trent returned with another piece of wood that he just recently cut. He gives it to Gwen and shows her where to glue it, as Gwen was gluing the body of the guitar together. When Trent finishes showing Gwen where the new piece goes, she looks at him and nods over toward Jennifer, who is busy trying to find the correct type of strings to use as guitar strings. None of the materials in the woodshop were appropriate for a guitar, so Jennifer was searching for the next best alternative.

Trent walks over to the performing artist and said, "So how goes finding the strings?"

"Well, it could be worse," Jennifer replied.

Trent raises his eyebrow and asks, "How so?" Jennifer gestured over toward Courtney and said, "I could've been stuck with teammates like Courtney, or even worse, Heather."

"I can't argue with you there," Trent said while laughing. Trent then became more serious and said, "So what do you think of Gwen?"

"Why, are you still kinda into her," Jennifer asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Trent shook his head and responded, "There's a little bit of me that still wishes we could be together again, but I think I've moved on."

Jennifer looks up into Trent's green eyes and asks, "Is there someone that you're interested in now?"

Trent looks back at her and says, "There might be somebody. I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell anyone though."

"C'mon you can tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone," Jennifer said excitedly, hoping Trent was interested in her.

Trent smirked and responded, "Are you sure you want to know?"

Jennifer nodded exuberantly and said, "Yes please! I would love it if you told me who you were interested in."

Trent simply shrugged and said, "Okay. I'm interested in you."

The musician then kissed the performing artist. The kiss lasted only a moment but it was enough to cause Jennifer's legs to grow weak and forced Trent to support her. Jennifer let out a happy moan, which caused Gwen to look over at the scene and smirk at Trent. Geoff, who had also looked over, made a thumbs-up gesture at his friend.

Jennifer recovered from her weak spell and suddenly glomped Trent with such an incredible force that the pair fell to the ground. Trent felt something fall on his face and he reached upwards to lift it off his face. Upon closer inspection, Trent could see that they were strings that were close in composition to that of guitar strings. The musician then remarked, "Did you find these strings, Jennifer?"

"Yeah, I found them right before you kissed me," Jennifer replied dreamily. The new couple managed to pick themselves up off the ground and walk over to Gwen in order to help her finish the assembly of the guitar.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: (She is talking so fast that it is almost impossible to understand. Subtitles are added for this one scene) OMG! I so can't believe that Trent kissed me! And now we're a couple! I had always dreamed that this would happen, but I never thought it would actually occur! I feel like I'm on top of the world right now!

* * *

Team 3 (Mikey, Megan, Ezekiel)

The gaming cabinet was coming along smoothly, as the frame and the first shelf had already been cut and installed. "Okay Zeke, I need you to cut those two of those pieces of wood so that they can be installed into the cabinet," Mikey instructed the prairie boy while pointing to a stack of three wooden boards.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes slightly and said, "Yeah, whatever, eh."

Megan returned from the electric saw with three cut panels, very similar to those that Zeke was instructed to cut. She looks behind her to the loner prairie boy and asks, "Do you think he's okay Mikey?"

"I don't really know. He appears to be going down a dark path and that worries me," was the gamer's reply.

The nice girl shrugs it off and asks, "So, what did you want me to do now?"

Mikey looked back at his good friend and says, "Well, if you don't mind, there are a few spots on the wood where there need to be holes two-inches or so deep. Any spot that is identified with a marker should be drilled."

"That shouldn't be a problem for me. What are you going to do now," Megan asked in response.

The gamer looks back at her and smirks, saying, "I have to cut the door." Without another word, he left.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Seeing Zeke becoming increasingly dark does worry me. However, so long as he doesn't become something similar to a feral beast, all is well. **[3] **If I had to guess, becoming feral would increase his strength, but cost him his sanity. **[4]**

* * *

Team 4 (Noah, Cody, Emily)

The bookcase that the team was assembling currently had the frame as well as two shelves completed. Noah, who was busy doing something to the installed shelves, grumbled mainly to himself, "Honestly Cody, could you cut any slower? We still have quite a bit of work left to do."

Emily, who heard Noah, said in response, "Shut up Noah! From what I can see, you aren't doing anything useful."

"Oh yeah, that's right bracing the shelves so that they don't collapse when weight is added isn't useful. How could I forget," Noah retorted sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

Cody walked up to the two feuding teammates with two more shelves and said, "Seriously Noah, you should shut up. It's getting increasingly hard to be able to tolerate you."

Noah rolled his eyes again and said, "Whatever."

Turning his attention to Emily, Cody said, "Don't listen to him Emily. He's probably just upset that he doesn't have a friend like you."

"Aw, you're so sweet Cody. That's such an awesome characteristic," Emily said, a very slight blush covering her cheeks.

Noah, on the other hand, muttered sarcastically, "Way to dive into my psyche Cody. You are such an awesome psychologist."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: (The know-it-all sighs and then looks at the camera.) I used to think Cody was my friend. There is a part of me that believes we still are, but he is becoming harder to tolerate, just as he claims it's harder to tolerate me.

* * *

Team 5 (Geoff, Bridgette, Joseph)

Joseph was busy with some sandpaper as he smoothed down the last parts of the hair gel rack that they were making specifically for Chris. After a minute or so more of sanding, the overachiever stepped away from their work of art. Geoff looked it over and enthusiastically said, "Dude, dudette, I think this is almost done! It just needs a little bit of paint!"

Joseph wiped some sweat from his forehead and nodded. "I agree, this is looking really good. I think it needs-," the overachiever was cut off when a loud explosion occurred. The natural reaction the overachiever had was, "What the hell was that?"

He looked over at his teammates and saw that Bridgette was holding onto Geoff tightly, with the party boy rubbing his girlfriend's back. Joseph started to walk over to the source of the explosion and Geoff and Bridgette soon followed. The three soon arrived at Team 1's area, which was unoccupied as Courtney went off to use the restroom.

A few of the other competitors were standing around and when the three got a better look, then noticed that the entire area, including the workbench, the bench the team was crafting, and even the floor and some of the wall had wood finish on it. The smoking remains of a can are on the ground, along with what looked like a digital timer.

Courtney, who was returning from the restroom, saw the crowd of people and ran over, shrieking, "What the hell happened?"

Izzy, who had been hiding in the rafters, jumped down and said nonchalantly, "Oh, I just used a bomb on the can of wood finish and now the bench is completely covered."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but your craziness actually came in handy," Courtney said after looking over the entire bench.

Izzy smiled her wide grin and said, "Thanks! I was just glad I was able to get rid of that bomb!" The competitors gathered around all returned to their projects, some confused as to what happened.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: (She is grinning very widely) I think Courtney finally sees how useful I can be!

Joseph: After seeing that Izzy can use her craziness to her advantage, I have two possible options. I can eliminate her early, or wait until her crazy tendencies cause her to be eliminated. Still, she is a strong player, and one that must stick around for awhile.

* * *

Team 6 (Nicholas, Jessie, Danny)

It could easily be said that the saner team of rookies were having a hard time. After all, the only component of their swinging bench that had been completed was the frame. "This project seems like it is a tougher undertaking than I had previously thought," Jessie said solemnly as she attached the canopy that she stitched to the top of the frame.

Nicholas griped, "This would've been so much easier for us all if I were using a motor."

Danny shook his head and responded, "I'm sorry that this is not turning out the way you envisioned it, but it is what I believe is right. I hope you understand."

"Yeah, yeah," Nicholas said, annoyed.

Jessie walked over to the mechanic and said, "It's too bad that you were unable to utilize your mechanical skills. Perhaps you could show them to me later." Nicholas blushed very slightly at the shy girl's comment.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: You know, I didn't think Jessie would be into mechanics and other things of that nature. Perhaps she wishes to spend time with me because she likes me. (The mechanic thinks for a few seconds.) It's possible, but a more logical guess would be that she wants to expand her skill pool.

* * *

Team 7 (Rebecca, Julie, William)

The final team's workbench was littered with failed attempts at making swords. Some of them were split in half, while others had severe cracks running up the side of them. "I would've made a terrible ninja. I bet any of the kage's would be displeased with me," Rebecca lamented over her several failed attempts at making a symbol to represent her love of anime.

Julie looks over at her friend and says, "Perhaps making a weapon was not the right choice."

"I suppose," was all Rebecca could respond with.

William walks over and says cheerfully, "Look at what I have, fresh from the sander."

Rebecca looks up as the crazy guy unveils a wooden katana. It was painted pink and had what appeared to be flame designs integrated into the color scheme. "I don't know if you like the color, but I want you to present it. It took me all day, but I believe that since this was your idea, you should be the one to present it."

William handed the sword off to Rebecca. When he did so, a generic announcer/narrator type voice said, "Rebecca earned the Power of Love!" **[5]** The three teens confusedly looked around, trying to determine the source of the voice.

Julie looked down at her watch and says, "Oh, we should get going. It's almost 1:30"

* * *

Chris was waiting by the judges and yawned, before saying, "Okay guys, it's time for us to judge the projects. The teams will present in a random, pre-selected order. They have all been informed of their positions ahead of time." Chris smirks and pulls out his megaphone before saying, "Team 6, you guys are up!"

Danny, Jessie, and an embarrassed Nicholas walk into the hallway with their half-completed bench on a cart. Nicholas, taking charge and says, "Well, we were going to initially make an automatic swinging bench, but Danny wouldn't allow it, so we tried to make a normal swinging bench. As you can see, we didn't get a chance to finish it."

Chris looks over it carefully before saying, "Meh, I've seen worse than this. Oh, and nice job pinning the blame on someone else." Danny casts an odd glance at Nicholas following Chris' comment. Chris smiles and turns to Owen, Duncan, and Beth and says, "Well judges, what about you? What do you think?"

Duncan sneered and said, "No offense, but it sucks."

"Well, I give it an A for effort," Owen remarked in his optimistic tone.

Beth said, "Well, I like the idea, but I think the execution was spotty at best. However, I am more lenient with you given your time restriction."

Chris then yelled into his megaphone, "Next up is Team 2." Upon that being said, Trent and Jennifer walk out holding hands and holding their guitars. Chris looked around before asking, "Where's Gwen?"

As soon as the host said this, Gwen walked out of the woodshop holding a guitar, painted black with a turquoise stripe down the side, to match her hair. Chris nods his approval and then says, "I like it a lot. I especially like the custom coloring. Judges, what about you?"

Beth said, "Wow guys, I loved this! It came together perfectly well, and the custom coloring gives it a nice personal touch."

"I happen to agree with Beth, this is awesome! I'm actually surprised at how well this came out," Owen remarked happily.

Duncan gave a smirk and said, "Not bad Elvis, not bad at all. I'm talking about more than your girl, by the way."

Duncan and Chris share a laugh before Chris announces, "Okay, now Team 5 is to present their project." The three team members walk out of the woodshop. Joseph is holding the hair gel rack, now painted so that its color resembled the color of Chris' shirt. Chris raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what is this? A spice rack?"

Joseph shook his head and gave a triumphant smirk before saying, "Not quite. You see, my dear judges, this is a hair gel rack. Its only purpose is to hold and separate various types of hair gels. I only hope that this was enough to meet your expectations."

Chris stood there in awe for a minute or two until he finally managed to say, "Best. Idea. Ever. This is one of the greatest things I have ever seen!"

Duncan sneered slightly and said, "Kiss-up. Regardless, it looks good. Nice job."

"It's pretty good. It looks really nice. I just found it a little boring," Owen said with a shrug.

Chris whirls around and angrily says, "You think this is boring? This is the greatest thing ever! How could this be boring?"

Beth, scared that Chris might hurt Owen, replies, "Chris, what I believe Owen meant to say is that it could have been a little more complicated, and I agree. It seems a tad simplistic."

Chris rolled his eyes and says, "Whatever. Team 3, you guys are up!" Mikey carefully wheeled a cart holding their creation while Megan and Ezekiel watched it from the sides. Ezekiel seemed to care less about it than Mikey or Megan.

Mikey smiles and says, "Well, this is a video game storage cabinet. It holds a console, games, and accessories."

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Chris says with a grin before asking, "Can you show me the interior?"

"Not a problem," Mikey replies. When he opens up the cabinet, one of the side panels falls off. At this, Mikey exclaims, "What the hell?" The gamer stands puzzled for a moment before he turns around and faces Ezekiel. The prairie boy seems nervous as Mikey asks, "Zeke, weren't you supposed to secure the sides of the cabinet?"

Ezekiel nervously says, "Yeah, I guess. Things kind oof got hectic and I furgot, eh."

Chris sighs and says, "It looked good, for a moment."

Owen looks sad and says, "Aw, I'm sorry that it fell apart!"

Duncan snorted, "Well I'm not. I've been waiting for something to go wrong."

Beth rolled her eyes and says, "Its okay, my decision stems from whenever the creation looks best."

Chris became annoyed and said, "Okay, this is taking way too long! I want to break in this hair gel rack already! Next is Team 7, and hurry up!" Julie, who looked slightly ashamed, and William, who was grinning like a fool, held open the doors to the woodshop.

Chris, fearing the worst, grabbed a silver decorative cane that Duncan brought. Duncan growled, "Hey McLean! That isn't yours!"

"Shut up or you don't get paid," was Chris' response.

A moment later, Rebecca came running full speed out of the woodshop. She ran along the wall, wooden katana behind her, as she jumped into the air. She prepared to bring the sword down on Chris, but the glorified host blocked it with the cane. Rebecca swung the sword again and again, Chris using the cane to block each time. Eventually, the cane popped open, exposing a real sword. Confused, Chris asked, "Where did you get this Duncan?"

Duncan shrugged and said, "I stole it from some guy."

Chris, amused said, "Cool." Then, using the sheath of the sword/cane, Chris tripped Rebecca.

She fell to the ground and said, "You dick," as she fell to unconsciousness.

Chris sheathed the sword and handed it back to Duncan before saying, "Well then, that was interesting. I didn't really like it as she tried to harm my beautiful face. Judges?"

"It looked kinda cool. I mean the flame design was bad ass, but my sword kicks that sword's ass. Plus pink? Who makes a sword pink? I don't really know," Duncan said with a shrug.

Beth, who looked shocked, said, "I didn't really like it. I mean, that is such a violent project and I just don't really like it."

Julie called out, "Finally somebody agrees with me!"

"Hmmm. Well, it looks cool, but it's not a great thing for kids to see. I don't know, it seems a little lackluster, I guess," Owen responded.

Chris grinned and said, "Team 4, come on out!"

Cody and Emily wheeled the bookcase out to Chris and the judges as Noah walks out with a large book. He places a bookmark inside the book, closes it, and places the book on the shelf. Noah then smirks and says, "This is the bookcase that was painstakingly created. I can only hope that it is enough to warrant our winning immunity."

Chris smirked in response and says, "That seems a little typical of you, doesn't it Noah? Regardless, it looks good."

Owen nods his head in agreement and states, "I like it. It looks like a lot of effort went into it."

Duncan smirked and said, "I'm surprised, Noah. I thought you were lazy."

Noah smirked and replied, "Looks can be deceiving."

"You got that right. I'm impressed after what happened during TDI," Beth said with a smile.

Chris nodded and said, "Time to wrap this up already! Team 1, get out here!"

Courtney and Izzy wheeled their bench out, but there was a sheet covering it. Heather, meanwhile, walks out while filing her nails. Courtney yanks the sheet off and everyone's jaws dropped at the sight of the completed bench. It looked identical to how it looked when the bomb went off, but now there was a picture of a skull, a piece of pizza, a barn, and Chris' head carved into the bench. Chris could only mutter, "Amazing."

The other judges were speechless until Duncan managed to loudly say, "I knew you could do it, Princess!" Everyone else applauded the team on their work of art.

Chris then said, "Okay everyone, now is the time for us judges to pick the winners. Please wait one moment." After a minute of waiting, Chris said, "Well, we have decided upon the winners. I picked Team 5 because their creation was the greatest thing in the history of forever!"

Duncan smirked and said, "Naturally, I picked Team 1, not only because their bunch kicked some serious ass, but also because that team had Princess on it."

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "I wish you wouldn't always call me that, Duncan."

"Well, I picked Team 2 because they coordinated their idea really well," Owen said.

"I picked Team 4, because of their useful, yet also complex creation," Beth said.

Chris smiled and said, "Well, we all knew there would be some losers, and as it turns out, they are Team 3, Team 6, and Team 7. Meet me in the auditorium in one hour for the elimination!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Well, that turned out well. Now, today I'm going to let fate take its course. After all, if I intervene every episode, I will become suspicious, won't I?

Mikey: Crap, I really don't know what I'm gonna do. On the other hand, that sword fight was epic!

* * *

Six of the possible candidates for elimination met in secret to discuss the elimination. Mikey, who had called the meeting together, said, "Well, as you can see, Rebecca, Ezekiel, and Danny are not here. With the exception of Danny, there is a reason for that. Rebecca and Ezekiel are not well liked, and therefore are logical candidates for elimination."

"I'm going to vote for Rebecca. I really don't like the fact that she got into a sword fight with Chris. It's not something kids should see," Julie argued.

Nicholas grumbled, "Whatever, I'm voting for Danny. I know that if I could do this the way I wanted, we would have done better than that bookcase."

Megan shrugged and said, "Well, I agree, Rebecca isn't really a safe person to keep here."

Mikey thought for a moment and said, "Well, Zeke is becoming a darker person by the day. So I'm either going to vote for him before he becomes a danger to us all, or Rebecca, who already is a danger to us all."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Sorry Rebecca, you're nice, but running around with a sword is not really something you should be doing.

Nicholas: Screw your honor, Danny! I could've won this challenge if it weren't for your damn honor!

Mikey: I wish there was some other way around it, but Rebecca is less useful in the long run.

* * *

Chris stood in the auditorium, with only the nine candidates for elimination sitting in the room. "Where's all your friends," the sadistic host asked.

Mikey smirked and said, "Sleeping, your stupid challenge tired them out." The other eight laughed and Chris scowled.

The host said, "Whatever. You have all voted and the votes have been tallied. There are eight hall passes and nine of you. Whoever does not receive a hall pass must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers, and leave Total Drama High School for good! Anyways, hall passes go to Mikey, Megan, Nicholas, Jessie, Julie, William, and Danny."

All of the aforementioned contestants smiled as they caught their passes. It was now down to Ezekiel and Rebecca. Rebecca gripped her wooden sword tightly, while Ezekiel started to shake slightly from being in the bottom two again. Chris said, "Zeke, Rebecca, this is the final hall pass for today. The final pass goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Ezekiel!" The prairie boy looked relieved as he caught the pass flying at his head.

Chris smiled sadistically and said, "Well, Rebecca, it's time for you to go."

The anime nerd stood up, grabbed her sword and begun to walk away. When she was at the doors to the auditorium, she turned around and said, "Fine, I'll leave. I'll leave feeling the same way Sauske did when he left the Hidden Leaf Village. In other words, angry. I would watch yourselves if I were you. Oh, one more thing. Hey, William, catch!"

Rebecca threw the sword from the challenge at William. He caught the sword and the generic announcer/narrator said, "William earned the Power of Love!"

He looked at the sword in shock and said back, "Why are you giving this to me?" The anime nerd smirked and said, "Consider it a promise between friends. Promise me you will rock this competition!"

"I will! But, when can I give the sword back to you? If you go home, then it'll be kinda hard," William replied.

Chef Hatchet burst into the auditorium and yelled at Rebecca, "You, hyper girl! You were eliminated! Get your ass out to that bus now! We gotta get to the aftermath studio!"

Rebecca then got dragged out by Chef, but she pinched a few nerves on his neck, causing him to fall over, unconscious. She re-entered the auditorium and shouted to William, "You can give me the sword back when you get eliminated! Good luck!" She then exited the room.

The remaining contestants then exited the auditorium as well. As William was leaving, he kept talking to himself quietly, saying, "Rebecca, I promise to do all I can to go far."

When Chris was the last one remaining he smiled and said, "Well that was dramatic! Who knows what will happen next time? Will any new rivalries form? Will Joseph make another evil move? Can I torment these money-crazed teens any more? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Rebecca – 6 (Megan, Ezekiel, Julie, Danny, Jessie, Mikey)

Ezekiel – 2 (William, Rebecca)

Danny – 1 (Nicholas)

**

* * *

**

[1]

–A reference to one of my favorite lines from Total Drama World Tour.

**[2]** – This is a reference to the Ace Attorney video game series.

**[3]** – This is referencing Zeke's "condition" from Total Drama World Tour.

**[4]** – This is essentially what happens to a Feral One in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (One of my all-time favorite video games!)

**[5]** – This is a reference to the most epic movie ever: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. (If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? Go watch it!)

* * *

So another chapter is finally done! Next chapter is going to be a short aftermath and then back to regular challenges. There is a poll up on my profile related to this fic, and it is about Joseph's alliance. Please vote in the poll and review if you can. I'm starting to think nobody reads this. Even if your words are not so kind in a review, that helps trust me. Anyways, until next time!


	5. Aftermath 1: Tylers and Tribulations

Disclaimer: I don't own, unless you count my OC contestants and OC intern

* * *

Authors Note: I said this would be a quick chapter and I was correct! After my short break following Christmas, I wrote a chapter for both this and my other fic, Total Drama Zombieland within a couple of days. This entire chapter I wrote today! Anyways, if you wouldn't mind reviewing this, I would appreciate it. Only one person has reviewed this fic, and they know who they are. Anyways, next I'll work on another chapter of TDZ then the next official chapter of this fic. Oh and Happy New Year!

* * *

Instead of opening on a view of Chris in front of the high school, the camera opens on a large room with a few couches, a large table with snacks on it, and a large TV. There are ten people in the room. The camera sees Duncan, Owen, Katie, Sadie, and Beth. In addition, there is a boy with short brown hair, a red tracksuit, and a red headband making out with a girl with a blue bandanna set in her yellow hair, cowboy boots, an orange skirt and red top with a brown vest-like piece of clothing covering her large chest.

Duncan is watching the sight and says to Owen, "You know, it's a good thing she recognized who he was before World Tour started. Imagine how much it would suck if she couldn't remember who he was when they were stuck on a plane for hours at a time."

Owen laughs and replies, "You know, that would suck. I don't know what I would do if Izzy didn't remember me."

"Yeah, well at least you get to compete in World Tour! I haven't competed since Total Drama Island! How do you think I feel," a muscular girl who was wearing a blue sweat suit and had her black hair in a ponytail angrily asked.

Duncan rolled his eyes and responded, "Hey it was your fault for leaving to go get help Eva."

"What I don't get," a lanky, nerdy teen with orange hair, green-tinted glasses, and a blue shirt with what appeared to be a picture of a hamburger on it, said, "is that I wasn't chosen to participate in this season. I mean, according to the Total Drama web site, I am labeled 'The Dweeb.' So why wasn't I picked?"

Eva angrily replied, "At least you got to be on Total Drama Action! And you're going to be on World Tour! That's three seasons! I've only been on one!"

"Eva, you should totally like, calm down, right Sadie," Katie said to her BFFFL (Best Female Friend For Life).

The chubbier Wonder Twin replied, "You are so right Katie. I mean, we aren't on this season, but we aren't mad."

Eva rolled her eyes and said, "But you guys are interns! You at least do something! I don't do anything!"

The nerdy teen from before turned to a tanned model with a green shirt and cargo pants and said, "Hey Justin, do you think you can calm her down?"

The model, whose name is Justin, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll do what I can Harold. I know of only one way to soothe a savage beast like Eva." The model then ripped off his shirt. Katie, Sadie, Beth, and Eva all stared in awe at Justin's near perfect features (He still had the slightest evidence of a scar or two form TDA). The blonde girl making out with the tracksuit-clad teen would be staring too, but she wasn't facing the model. Justin then asked, "Eva, could you please try and calm down? You might be scaring some of the others."

"I c-can t-t-try to, Justin," Eva said with a slight tone of affection (though she would deny it later).

Duncan elbows Owen and whispers, "Maybe the reason why they didn't pick her was because they didn't pick Justin. He seems to be the easiest way to calm her down."

Owen chuckled and whispered, "I don't know, maybe it's just because Eva is scary." Justin put his shirt back on and the girls came out of their stupor.

Just then, a tall intern with dark brown eyes, jet black hair, a navy blue t-shirt and black jeans walked in. Harold noticed the intern and said, "Hey Carl, what's up?"

The intern looks up from his clipboard at the teens and says, "Well, the Aftermath show is about to start, so you guys are needed on stage."

"Okay, thanks for telling us," Beth said with a smile. Everyone exited the room except the couple making out, as they didn't hear the intern's announcement.

* * *

The camera now shows a stage with an audience in front of it. The audience has about a hundred people in it. Some of the audience members are holding signs like "Duncan + Courtney" "Duncan + Gwen" and "Forget Courtney and Gwen. Go out with me Duncan!" There is a couch in the center of the stage and about eighteen armchairs on each side of the couch. A large plasma T.V. is mounted above the couch. Duncan, Owen, Beth, Katie, Sadie, Justin, Harold, and Eva walk out from the left side of the stage and take seats on the left side of the couch.

Owen notices the signs that members of the audience are holding and he elbows Duncan and says, "Duncan you sly dog, you got quite a few fans."

The punk rolled his eyes and said, "Pfft, as if, those are just freaky fan girls."

The happy-go-lucky teen nodded in understanding and said, "Like Sierra?"

Duncan nodded and said, "Like Sierra, but probably not as hardcore." **[1]**

The television screen turned on and the Total Drama High School Aftermath logo appeared, which was a capital TDHS with the word Aftermath underneath it.

An announcer called out to the audience, "Welcome to the first episode of Total Drama High School Aftermath! Today's hosts are Tyler and Lindsay!" A spotlight shined down from the ceiling and was aimed toward the left side of the stage. It is quiet for about a moment and then the announcer again says, "Today's hosts are Tyler and Lindsay!" There is still no response. After about a minute of waiting, the announcer says, "Please bear with us folks. Will Carl please look backstage for our hosts?"

* * *

Carl searched backstage for Tyler and Lindsay. He was muttering something like, "Why did they send me? I'm like the director, not some stagehand." The intern turned a corner and entered the lounge where the cast had been but a few minutes earlier.

There he saw the couple who were making out. The boy had taken off the top part of his tracksuit, exposing his chest. The girl had taken her top off, leaving her bra as the only thing covering her chest.

Carl rolled his dark brown eyes and cleared his throat. The couple looked up at the intern, his jet black hair hanging partially over his eyes. "We're late for the beginning of the show, aren't we," the boy asked.

Carl nodded and responded, "Yeah Tyler, you kinda are. It's a good thing I found you before the guests got here. You were about to reach second base."

"But, aren't we all friends? I mean Heather hasn't been voted off yet," the girl sweetly asked.

"Lindsay, they would've seen your boobs. Friends or not, that would've been awkward," the intern replied.

Lindsay said, "I guess that makes sense."

Carl just sighed and said, "Look, just be ready to go onstage in two minutes okay?"

Tyler smiled and said, "Yeah, let's do this!"

"You are so cute Tyler," Lindsay cooed as she kissed his cheek.

Carl groaned and said, "Don't start making out again, if you know what's good for you." The two teens nodded and put the clothing they had taken off back on as the intern left.

* * *

Back by the stage, the announcer says, "Okay everyone sorry for the delay. I think we are ready to continue. Now please welcome your hosts, Tyler and Lindsay!" The crowd erupts into cheering and a few catcalls from some guys as Tyler and Lindsay walk out from the left side. They wave to the audience as they walk over to and sit down on the couch.

Tyler introduces the show by saying, "Welcome to the first Aftermath of Total Drama High School! We've got four guests with us tonight as well as a couple other segments for the show. However, let's start with a recap of what's happened so far: We've seen the contestants compete in challenges based off of Orientation, History, and Woodshop. We've learned that Emily has a huge crush on Cody, and he might have feelings for her in return. Nicholas and Jessie are wicked close, but whether or not they have feelings for each other has yet to be seen. We also learned that Mikey and Megan have a crush on one of the other contestants. On the more serious end of relationships, Trent and Gwen resolved to be friends just in time for Trent to hook up with Jennifer! Way to go Trent! Now in terms of rivalries, we've seen Gwen commit a bit of treachery in order to eliminate Courtney, though Courtney has yet to show any sort of animosity to Gwen during this season. Anyways, during the last episode we also learned that Nicholas is pissed off at Danny, though it is unknown if Nicholas is going to do something to Danny as a result of that anger. An alliance was formed and for once it wasn't by Heather! Noah, who wanted someone watching his back, turned to Joseph, who we learned is secretly evil and is only being nice to prevent anyone from being suspicious, and the two formed an alliance. As for the rest of the competitors, well they acted the way you would expect them to."

Lindsay smiled and said, "Now it's time for our first guest. She came in fifth place on Total Drama Island, said mean things about everyone on Total Drama Action, and was eliminated because of Connie's plan. Please welcome Lafonda!"

Leshawna walked out from the right side of the stage and sat in one of the chairs to the right of the couch. "Hey Leshawna, what's up," Tyler asked.

Leshawna frowned and said, "I was voted off first and lost a half a million bucks. How do you think I feel?"

Tyler raised his hands in defense and said, "It's a generic first question, don't get mad at me."

Leshawna chuckled and responded, "I'm just kidding sugar. I wish I could've made it farther, especially considering how it wasn't really my fault I was eliminated. Nobody on my team voted for me!"

Lindsay got up and sympathetically hugged Leshawna and said, "That's so sad. If I were on Carol's team, I wouldn't have voted for you."

"It's okay Lindsay," Leshawna said as her friend hugged her.

Lindsay sat down next to Tyler and said, "Well, how do you feel about Candice's plan?"

Leshawna raised an eyebrow and said, "Courtney? Well, I get saving the new kids, but why Ezekiel? I mean, I guess he is kinda smart, but still. Still, I know karma will bite Courtney in the ass before the game is over."

Tyler smiled and said, "What about the rookies? What did you think of them?"

Leshawna frowned and said, "Joseph is the biggest threat there. He is even more threatening than Noah, since he has both brains and is willing to be backhanded to win. As for the girls, working with them was nice. I liked Megan, Jessie, Jennifer, and Emily. I think Julie was nice too, but I really didn't talk to her that much. As for Rebecca, she's a bit odd, but I know she means well."

"Well, it was nice talking to you Lafonda, but would you mind moving over one spot so we can interview our next guest?"

"Not a problem," Leshawna said.

As Leshawna moved over, Tyler said, "Well, our next guess has the craziest hair on the show, does not like his stepparents and was hoping to get an apartment. Give it up for Alexander!"

The Hispanic slacker walked out from the right side of the stage and sat in the chair where Leshawna was sitting a moment earlier. Lindsay cheerfully asked, "Hi Alejandro, how do you feel?"**[2]**

Alexander blinked and said, "Yeah, my name isn't Alejandro. It's Alexander. Anyways, while it is a bit of a shame that I was eliminated so early, it does mean I can stay here the rest of the season. So it's not all bad."

"Interesting way to look at it. So what do you think of the Noah and Joseph alliance," Tyler asked.

"Oh, they will control this game the best they can, but with control freaks like Courtney and Heather, they will have a run for their money."

Duncan stood up and cracked his knuckles and said, "Hey! Watch what you say about my girlfriend!"

"Dude, you're going to get a chance to talk later," Tyler said to the punk.

Lindsay then said, "So did you like working with the other guys during the war challenge?"

Alexander shrugged and said, "It was okay, I guess. I would've preferred being in the field actually, just because it seemed like a videogame. Still, it was nice having the others listening to me."

Tyler looked over at the slacker and said, "Thanks for your time, dude."

"Anytime man," Alexander replied with a smile.

The jock turned to the camera and said, "Before we welcome our next guess, it's time for That's Gonna Leave a Mark!"

* * *

Scene 1: The scene where Mikey is knocked into the lockers during the laser tag challenge is shown in slow motion. When he hits the lockers a sound effect of a bone breaking is played.

Scene 2: Nicholas is putting the base of the swinging bench together when a piece of the canopy falls and hits him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

Scene 3: During the scavenger hunt, when Ezekiel slips on the water, he hits his head on the lockers before hitting the floor.

Scene 4: During the first challenge, Rebecca gets fed up with Heather and pinches her nerve endings. She collapses and is then kicked by Joseph.

* * *

"Man some of those were awesome! Especially what happened to Heather," Tyler said happily.

Lindsay added, "Yeah! But what happened to Mark was sad. Anyways, our next guest is the nicest competitor on the show, is easily scared, and formed an illegal alliance with Chef in Total Drama Action. It's DJ!"

The gentle giant walked over to the couch and shared a fist bump with Tyler before sitting in the seat Alexander sat in moments ago. DJ smiled at the blond and said, "Lindsay, you got my name right."

"Hey, I did, didn't I? Yay for me," Lindsay said happily.

Tyler asked, "So how goes it bro?"

DJ sighed before saying, "Well, I know why they voted for me, but why couldn't they vote for someone less favorable?"

"That is an excellent question, but I don't have an answer for you," Tyler said to his friend.

Lindsay asked, "Who did you consider your friends of the rookies?"

"The rookies huh? Well, Mikey and Julie became my friend during the first challenge and Jennifer became a good friend during the second challenge," DJ replied.

"Speaking of Jennifer, are you happy that she got together with Trent? And what about Cody and his love interest Emily," Tyler asked the gentle giant.

DJ replied, "Well, I'm happy that Trent got together with Jennifer. They seemed to have a lot in common. As for Cody, well Emily is nice and she really likes him so I think he should go for it."

"Thanks for your time DJ," Lindsay said.

Tyler turned to the camera and said, "Now for our final guest! She makes references that many don't quite understand, was eliminated first in the war challenge, and has a certain affinity with Japan, its Rebecca!"

The anime nerd ran out from backstage and did a flip over some of the armchairs. Her leg gets caught on one of the chairs however and she falls to the ground. Duncan then calls out, "Look at her, she just pulled a Tyler!"

The audience laughs as Tyler stomps over to Duncan. The jock looks the punk straight in the eye and seriously says, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dude, it means she is as klutzy as you are," Duncan says to his face.

Tyler looks embarrassed and says, "Oh, sorry for having to get all serious. Can you wait until it's your turn to talk though?"

Lindsay asks, "So Rene, how does it feel to be eliminated so early?"

Rebecca sighs and says, "Well, I feel depressed that I wasn't able to show off my talents. However, knowing Chris I will be back for another season."

Eva angrily shouted, "Maybe not! I've only been in one season!" Tyler, knowing better, did not try to tell Eva to wait.

Rebecca continued, "Anyways, until that moment, I will work on my personality."

Tyler raised an eyebrow and said, "You think the others didn't like you that much?"

"Judging from what I pieced together from the Confession Cam I hacked, yeah," the anime nerd responded.

Tyler said, "Well we have a never before seen clip."

* * *

The clip opens on a group of people right after the elimination of Rebecca. Mikey, Mega, Danny, Julie, and Ezekiel are all walking back to the Cafeteria. They began to discuss the elimination.

"You know, I kinda liked Rebecca, but I voted for her because she is a danger to keep around," Megan said.

Mikey agreed, "That is true. I however voted for her because of how obsessive she was with anime and manga."

Danny nodded and said, "Obsession is a dangerous thing in this game. Look what happened to Trent in TDA."

"Well, hopefully nobody else gets eliminated for being obsessed," Julie says.

Ezekiel said, "Yeah, I guess, eh."

Mikey looked at his teammate from the challenge and said, "Look, I don't know why you are acting all pessimistic, but if it's worth anything, I'm sorry for forcing so much on you during the challenge."

Ezekiel looked at the gamer and said, "Really? Well, okay, I'll try to stop being so pessimistic."

"Back to the point thought, I think Rebecca would've made it farther it she said less things about anime. I mean, I'm the gamer but I don't talk about games all the time," Mikey said.

Julie smiled and said, "You're right Mikey, but perhaps we were unlucky. Maybe she talks about different things back home."

Danny shrugged and said, "Possibly, possibly."

* * *

Tyler analyzed the clip and then said, "Well clearly no one hates you. They just don't like your constant anime talk."

Rebecca sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess I should work on that a little more."

Tyler then said, "One thing I gotta know, what was up with giving the sword back to William?"

Rebecca smiled and said, "Well, he made it for me and I gave it to him as a symbol of friendship and also as a way for him to remember the promise he made me, which was to go as far as he can."

"Interesting. Well, peanut gallery, anything you want to say about what's going on this season," Tyler said.

Eva shouted, "I should be on this season!"

Harold looked over at Eva and said, "We already know that, Gosh!"

Justin said, "I don't know about you, but I hope one of those new girls wins. They are a pleasure to my beautiful eyes."

"Oh your eyes are so beautiful, right Katie," Sadie said.

Katie replied, "Oh so totally beautiful Sadie."

Duncan smirked and said, "I know Princess will do just fine."

Owen said, "And Izzy too! She'll be fine."

Beth said, "I hope Cody does well. He was one of the few who were nice to me on the island."

Tyler said, "And that was our peanut gallery! Now Harold set up a certain thing for us, care to explain?"

Harold stood up and said, "Gladly, I created a version of the theme song. Let's play it!" The lights dimmed and the screen started to play the theme.

* * *

Dear Mom and Dad I'm doin' fine, You guys are on my mind.

The camera zooms into the school through the front doors, passing by Chris who is sitting in the office with Ezekiel sitting nervously in the office. The camera passes the library, where we see DJ, Geoff, Bridgette, Leshawna, and Gwen talking as they carry various objects from the first history challenge.

You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see, I wanna be famous!

The camera passes a classroom, where Courtney, Noah, and Joseph are standing up front presenting something. In the other seats, Alexander is sleeping, Heather is filing her nails, Danny listens intently and Julie smiles at the three.

I wanna live close to the sun, so pack your bags 'cause I've already won! Everything to prove, nothing in my way I'll get there one day, 'cause I wanna be famous!

Mikey, Nicholas, and Cody are running and shoot laser guns behind them at Megan, Jessie, and Emily. All six of the competitors are laughing.

Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na,

Rebecca and Izzy are dueling with wooden swords. Rebecca is using the one that she used in the woodshop challenge, whereas Izzy is using a wooden sword painted blue, but in the same style as Rebecca's. **[3]** As they duel, William watches on, judging.

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

The entire cast is in the auditorium, sitting in the audience with the exception being Trent and Jennifer as they are on the stage playing a duet version of the theme. Whistling can be heard as they finish playing and the logo for Total Drama High School shows up.

* * *

The audience is clapping for Harold's handiwork. "Thank you," Harold says as he sits down.

Lindsay smiles and says, "Well that was our show."

Tyler nods in agreement before saying, "That's right and on the next episode of Total Drama High School there will be another challenge, more drama, and another shocking elimination!"

"So make sure you to watch the next episode of Total Drama High School," Lindsay calls out.

Tyler continues, "Oh and the next Aftermath will be hosted by Harold and Eva! Good night!" Tyler and Lindsay start to make out as the ending music played and the rest of the cast walk off stage.

****

**

* * *

**

[1] –

Keep in mind that in Chapter 1, I said this took place after the TDA reunion special but before TDWT. The Total Drama cast knows who Sierra is, and she will show up in this fic toward the end. On a different note, have you noticed how silly fan girls are?

**[2]** – Just like above, Alejandro will make an appearance at the end.

**[3]** – Izzy is wielding the Power of Self Respect from Scott Pilgrim vs The World. I cannot say enough how epic that movie is.

* * *

Whew, another chapter done! An aftermath will appear after every fourth elimination. They will be shorter than most chapters, but will also feature the non-competing and eliminated contestants. Please review and until next time have a happy new year!


	6. Chapter 5: Mathematical Obstacle Course

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, what gave you that idea?

Authors Note: This is my longest chapter ever! I hope you enjoy. The language is a little more extreme than normal at one point, but Heather deserves it. Also, for the poll, the two who voted both said Heather would join the alliance. Let's just say you will be surprised.

* * *

Chris McLean was standing in front of the high school yet again and waves his arms around as he begins his monologue. He proudly says, "Last time on Total Drama High School, the students had to create something out of wood for their project. Here's the fun part: the teams were designed to either distract the members, or to test each other's patience! That's a perk of being host! Anyways, some of the creations were good, like the best bench I've ever seen and the bookcase our resident bookworm made. Some were fantastic, and by that I mean the hair gel rack that was created specifically for me! On the other hand, some projects sucked, like an incomplete swinging bench, a broken cabinet, or a sword that Rebecca used to try and hurt me. Speaking of Rebecca, she was forced to walk the hall of shame, but not before giving her sword to William, who promised to do everything he could to win. So, will today add to the drama? Can I piss off these teens even more? Will Ezekiel or Danny ever win immunity? Find out the answers to all of these questions right now, on Total Drama High School!

* * *

Chef was driving the bus a little erratically as he shuttled the teens from the hotel to the high school. Many of the students had nervous looks on their faces, since they feared for their lives with Chef driving, but also fearing for their lives if they criticized the obviously angry cook. To all of the competitor's delight, they made it to the high school intact and they all quickly exited the bus.

As they departed the vehicle, some heard Chef muttering things. Among the comments heard were "Stupid Pretty Boy," "Haven't gotten my paycheck yet," and "Why do I have to do this?" The remaining 20 contestants all stood waiting outside the bus until Chef shouted, "What the hell are you waitin' for? Get your asses to the auditorium!"

The freaked out teens went inside, and began to talk amongst themselves. Noah calmly stated, "So I wonder what kind of challenge will be next? Personally I would like to have a math challenge."

Mikey, who was walking next to him, said, "I wouldn't mind that. Actually, I wouldn't mind a challenge based off of any subject. Well except for one. I'd rather not mention it though. The subject still unnerves me."

Heather sneered and said, "Why, were you an utter failure at it?"

"I will admit that it wasn't my best subject. But to be fair, the teacher hadn't taught a class in years, so maybe it was him," Mikey replied as calmly as possible.

Heather scoffed and said, "Get used to it, gaming geek. There's always going to be crap that upsets you."

"Shut up Heather! You can be such a bitch," Gwen angrily quipped.

"So, nobody cares what you think, Weird Goth Girl," Heather replied nastily.

"Oh yes, I forgot. Your opinion is like the word of God," Noah said sarcastically.

Mikey smirked and said, "If Noah said we don't care for your opinion, then I agree."

Heather angrily responded, "Nobody asked you for your opinions you geeks!"

Megan retorted saying, "I'm not quite sure you understand. Nobody asked or cares about your opinion either so shut up!"

"As if I care about the opinions of losers like you," Heather said spitefully.

Ezekiel bravely said, "Face it Heather, noo oone likes yoo, eh." There was silence until everybody except Heather started to cheer for the prairie boy. Seeing the support everyone was giving to Ezekiel, Heather angrily stomped off.

Mikey walked over to Megan and said, "Thanks for sticking up for me Megan. I appreciate it."

The nice girl blushed slightly and said, "Don't mention it. It's just the kind of thing friends do."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Heather: Those losers! They think they've won, but I'm going to strike with a vengeance! First up, I'm going to take out that home schooled loser!

Joseph: After seeing the tension from earlier, the most strategic move would be to not target Heather. She has enough enemies now; they will all eliminate her soon enough. As for Ezekiel, he's pretty unpopular, which is basically a free elimination down the road. If that's the case, who should the alliance vote for? And better yet, who can I convince to join the alliance?

* * *

After the minor amount of drama, the rest of the students arrived at the Auditorium. William was the first one there, the wooden sword Rebecca had given him strapped to his back. Something about the crazy teen that many of the others had noticed is that he was not his usual, spacey self. He had an air of determination around him. He entered the auditorium first, followed by most of the other competitors, and finally, Heather.

Chris was already waiting for them, sitting in a chair on the stage, playing with a paddleball. He would hit the ball a few times and then fail, causing him to say, "Darn" or "Damn" or "Why am I doing this?" After a couple of minutes of watching this, many of the students began to get restless. Chris was completely oblivious to the students sitting there until he was hit in the head with a walnut.

Chris looked around the seated competitors and cringed, forgetting they were there. He also could've sworn he saw Izzy whistling nonchalantly. Chris then shook his head and fixed his hair before addressing the crowd, "Good morning students! Are you ready for your next challenge?"

William shouted out, "We were ready for the last five minutes, you douche!"

"No need to get uppity about all this. Anyways today's challenge will be math-related," Chris announced. A few students, namely Noah, Cody, Joseph, and Jessie showed interest after learning the challenge was about math. Chris frowned and said, "Now, we tried to figure out the best way to integrate math into a challenge and the best way was to have an obstacle course!"

"I don't think you were properly educated as a child," Noah remarked sarcastically, "because math and obstacle courses do not go hand in hand."

Chris scowled and said, "I'm aware of that Noah! You see, there are eight obstacles, and eight stations. After each obstacle is a station. At each station, one team member will have to answer a math question. If you get it right, your team moves on. Get it wrong, and you still move on, but you will have five to ten seconds added on to your time at the end, depending on the difficulty of the question. The easiest questions are first, and the most difficult ones are last. Each team member must answer two questions, because if one super smart member answered all the questions, it wouldn't be fair."

"Chris McLean being fair? I think that's a sign of the apocalypse," Noah remarked sarcastically.

Chris scowled again and said, "Shut up Noah! God, you are such a pain in the ass!"

"I try," Noah said while smirking.

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "Anyways, there are five teams and the two with the shortest times win immunity! The first team is Mikey, Heather, Noah, and Jennifer." The four teens stood near each other, all being quiet except for Heather, who was grumbling to herself.

Chris then said, "The second team is Joseph, Ezekiel, Julie, and Gwen." Like the first team, this one was quiet, although Joseph could be seen studying his teammates.

"The third team is Cody, Nicholas, Bridgette, and Megan," Chris said, hoping for drama.

Bridgette smiled and said, "We should do well, right Cody?"

The tech geek nodded and said, "Definitely. I'm a wiz at math."

Chris drawled on, "The fourth team is Courtney, Trent, Jessie, and William." Trent smiled when he saw who was on his team. He felt that they had pretty good odds at getting immunity.

Chris concluded, "The final team is Geoff, Emily, Danny and Izzy." Again, the teams were silent.

It was silent until Noah found the courage to say, "Did you make the teams so that we were, for the most part, paired up with people we don't really know?"

"You are correct Noah! I was wondering when someone would figure that out. Out to the course," Chris said as he led the teams outside.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Heather's on my team? Ugh, this means she's going to keep bitching. Maybe I could shut her up?

Jennifer: I'm kind of sad that Trent isn't on my team, but that's okay. At least with Heather on it, there's a candidate for elimination should we lose.

Joseph: Hmm. After seeing how determined William became overnight, he has become a threat, and fast. It seems obvious that he should be eliminated as soon as possible. But how will I achieve that? Perhaps I can recruit one of his teammates to help eliminate him.

* * *

Team one was lined up at the starting line while the other four teams were sitting in some bleachers. Chris, who was standing near the starting line, said, "Okay, so this is how the obstacle will work: The first obstacle is some platforms above a pit of water. Jump across them to go on. If you fall in, swim to the other side. Once the person doing the first problem makes it across, they can work on the problem. However, the whole team has to be across before moving on the next obstacle, which is a swinging rope above a pit of water. As you can see, there is a ladder on the far side of the pit so if you fall in, you can get back out. The third obstacle is the rolling pipe thing. Basically, run across the pipe and stay balanced so you don't fall off. If you fall off, you have to do it again."

Mikey had his forehead scrunched up in thought and said, "This course looks awfully familiar." **[1]**

Chris smiled and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Anyways, the next portion is one of those obstacles where you have to move your feet in and out of a bunch of tires. After that is a zip line. Grab onto the bar and the extra weight will cause it to slide down the line, down the hill. When you release the bar, it will travel back up the hill so the next person may go. The sixth obstacle is climbing up the hill. Two people may do this at once, one using the ladders and the other going up the zigzag ramp. After getting to the top, crawl through the sand pit and the final obstacle is a group of walls that force you to maneuver your body to fit through. After finishing the last math problem, head back here. Any questions?"

Almost every hand went up and Chris grinned before saying, "Good!" Chris flashed a thumbs up to Chef, who was standing next to a bell. He nodded and hit the large bell, signaling the start of the challenge.

* * *

Team 1 (Mikey, Heather, Noah, Jennifer)

Team one was still waiting by the starting line and Chris said, "Is everybody ready?"

Noah, who looked bored, said, "For math, yes. For the obstacle course, no."

"Good! Ready, set, go," Chris said as the four teens headed to the first obstacle.

Mikey was running alongside Noah and said, "Noah, if I may, I suggest that Heather goes first, and then either Jennifer or I, and you are last."

"That sounds good," Noah said between breaths. The duo reached the pit and saw Heather waiting there.

Mikey said, "What are you doing? Get going!"

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah right. I don't like you gaming geek. I don't have to do what you say."

"I'll show you," Mikey said before Noah stopped him. The gamer looked at the know-it-all questioningly.

Noah sighed and said, "Fair enough Heather. You can not participate, but when we lose, don't expect us to vote for someone else."

Heather glared at Noah for a moment before saying, "Fine." She proceeded to jump across the platforms.

When she got to the other side, Carl from the Aftermath studio was there and he said rather unenthusiastically, "In a triangle, what do the measures of the angles add up to?"

"180 degrees," Heather said just as unenthusiastically. She proceeded to head to the rope swing as Mikey looked back at his teammates. The three others were waiting to see if Heather would actually participate before continuing.

Mikey shouted out, "All right chumps, thumbs up, lets do this! Leerooooooooooy Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenkins!"**[2]** The gamer leapt onto the platforms and cleared them in a few seconds before doing a running jump to the rope swing and flying across the gap and landing on the other side.

Noah and Jennifer took a calmer approach to the first two obstacles. As they progressed, Noah was chuckling. Jennifer, who appeared to be slightly angry, asked, "Why are you chuckling? He called us chumps!"

"You don't understand. He was referencing a person who played World of Warcraft, whose name in game was Leeroy Jenkins. This person would charge into an area with a large amount of enemies, forcing his teammates to follow," Noah said while chuckling.

The two reached the rope swing as Mikey tossed it toward them. Heather was busy doing the second problem and she looked soaked. Jennifer took the rope as it was tossed to her and she swung across, grabbing onto the ledge on the other side. Mikey grabbed her hand and helped pull the performing artist up as Noah swung across the pit.

Jennifer smiled and said, "Thanks for the save Mikey."

"No problem, it was my pleasure," the gamer responded. Noah landed on the other side as gracefully as possible, which for him meant he fell face-first on the gymnastics mat. The three headed over to Heather to find that she completed the problem given to her by the intern who acted as nurse the other day.

The team ran toward the next obstacle and Mikey asked Jennifer, "So do you want to do the next problem, or should I?"

The performing artist shrugged and said, "I can do the next two, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," was the gamer's response. Jennifer ran across the rolling barrel first, followed by Heather.

Mikey said, "After you," to Noah and the know-it-all crossed the barrel, followed by Mikey.

Owen was standing there and he said, "Hi Noah! You wanna hang out some time?"

"Maybe once we get out of our contracts," Noah said sarcastically, insinuating that they would never get out of their contracts. Noah saw that Owen took him seriously and said, "Owen, what I mean is once I get eliminated. How's that?"

"Okay," Owen said cheerfully.

"Done," Jennifer said as Owen checked it.

He said, "Okay, you can go," shortly afterward. The team raced off, with Jennifer going through the tires first, followed by Mikey, Noah and lastly Heather. When the team was waiting for Jennifer to finish the problem,

Heather complained, "Ugh, can't you go any faster? You went fast enough in getting Trent to go out with you."

"Yeah, that's going to help team morale," Noah said cynically.

"Since when have you tried so hard to win," Heather asked rudely.

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Since this competition was supposed to be about brain power."

Jennifer ran over to Mikey and said, "What are they arguing about?"

"I dunno. Can I proceed," Mikey asked.

"Go right ahead," Jennifer said before going to split up the two feuding competitors. Mikey grabbed onto the zip line and slid down, shouting, "Wahoo!"

The shout got the attention of both Noah and Heather, who ran over to the zip line, Jennifer not too far behind. Duncan was waiting at the bottom of the hill.

When Mikey ran up to him, he said, "Okay gamer boy, all you gotta do is tell me the graph shape of…this question doesn't make any sense! When the rest of your team gets here, wait a few seconds, then go."

Heather was at the base of the hill first and she said, "Why are you just standing around, gamer geek?"

"Duncan's just going to let us go, once the rest of the team gets here," Mikey replied calmly. Noah arrived next and Mikey explained to him the situation. Finally Jennifer got to the rest of the group and they went back to the hill, climbing up the ladder and zigzag path.

Noah first climbed the ladder while Mikey took the zigzag path. When the two reached the halfway point, Heather and Jennifer started their ascent. When Mikey was about three-quarters of the way up, he started to slow down.

He muttered, "Ah, damn chest pains. Oh crap, didn't that intern in the nurse outfit say something about not exerting myself?" Mikey fell to the ground as his broken ribs acted up.

Back with the remaining contestants, they watched as the gamer fell to the ground. Luckily, he had not been climbing the ladder. Those that appeared the most devastated were Geoff, Bridgette, and Megan.

Chris meanwhile was having an angry phone call with Duncan. Chris said, "Look, just because you don't like the challenge, doesn't mean you can just let them go without doing anything!"

After a few seconds Chris said, "Yes I know having you as an intern helps attract viewers and therefore my handsome paycheck."

"But, but, fine," Chris said angrily as he hung up.

Back on the hill, Jennifer had reached Mikey and had stopped to pick him up. She carried the gamer piggyback style up the rest of the incline. When they got to the top, Katie issued Mikey the problem.

While Mikey was busy with the problem, she said, "Hi Noah."

"Hi Katie," the bookworm politely responded, "How is it being an intern?"

"Like, it is so much work, but we get to automatically be on another season, so that's great. Also I'm like so happy Chris also made Sadie an intern too," Katie replied happily.

Noah smiled and sincerely said, "Well, that's great. I hope you can do well."

Heather looked over at the bookworm with a confused glance, as she never expected Noah to care about, well, anyone. "Done," Mikey said wearily as Katie looked at the answer he had.

"Okay, you can go, but unfortunately you didn't get it right," Katie said.

Mikey hung his head and said, "Dammit! Oh well, Noah, you should probably get going."

"Right," was the know-it-all's response before he turned and said, "Okay Katie, I will see you around."

"Bye Noah," Katie called as the team left. Noah started crawling through the sand, Heather behind him, and Jennifer assisting the injured Mikey not much farther behind.

Jennifer, worried that Mikey was hurt, said, "Do you think you should be continuing the challenge?"

"I shouldn't but if I don't complete it, I could face instant elimination. I don't want to risk that," the gamer replied.

"Oh, I see," Jennifer said as they reached the far side of the sand pit.

Noah was impatiently tapping his foot, and he said, "C'mon. I already finished the problem."

"Right," Mikey said quietly, the slightest look of pain on his face. Noah went ahead to the next obstacle and started to get his body around the obstacles.

Heather, who was standing near the front said, "Get going gaming geek! I'm not going to let you go after me, since you would probably be staring at my body the whole time."

"Sorry, but I'm not into the bitchy type," Mikey said as he ran to the next obstacle.

Heather was fuming and chased after the gamer, yelling, "How dare you call me a bitch! I'm going to get your ass eliminated!"

Mikey looked behind him and smirked before saying, "Pretty big talk from the person that is less popular than Ezekiel!"

* * *

Back in the stands, upon hearing this, Ezekiel hung his head in shame, as Mikey's comment hinted at the opinion that Ezekiel was one of the least liked competitors. Joseph saw this and knelt down and said, "Zeke, you need to understand, what Mikey meant was-."

"I knoo' what he meant eh! He's an asshole," Ezekiel responded angrily.

Megan heard this and said, "What are you going on about, homeschool?"

Ezekiel turned to the nice girl and said, "Mikey! He's nothing more than an asshole, eh!"

"Are you trying to get yourself eliminated Zeke," Courtney asked.

The prairie boy stammered, "U-u-um, n-no."

Courtney then looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Then stop accusing innocent people! Mikey said what he said as an insult to Heather. I don't think he was trying to hurt your feelings."

Ezekiel looked ashamed and half-asked, "Oh, well my…bad, eh?"

* * *

Back in the obstacle course, Jennifer was just getting out of the final obstacle when Noah finished the problem given to him by Chef. The team ran toward the finish line and soon crossed over it.

Chris applauded them and said, "Nice time. You guys completed the course in 3 minutes, 50 seconds. However, two questions were answered wrong, so I'm going to add a total of thirteen seconds onto your time, giving you an end result of 4 minutes, 3 seconds! Team 2, you guys go up in five minutes."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Chris: I can't believe Duncan had the nerve to disobey my orders. Mine! Everyone knows that I'm the handsomest, nicest, coolest, most awesome host ever! Still, I put up with him, because Duncan and Owen help bring in the ratings. Still, I bring in the most ratings, just 'cause I'm awesome.

Mikey: I heard what Chris was saying before I came in here, and I just have to say Chris has to be one of the most narcissistic people to ever walk the face of the earth. Anyways, I may have pushed myself a little too much in the challenge, but I had to! With Heather on my team, what did you expect? Though if we lose, she is almost guaranteed to be eliminated…

* * *

Mikey sat down by Megan, Geoff, and Bridgette. Megan immediately asked him, "Are you crazy?"

"I thought that was Izzy," Mikey asked humorously.

"This isn't funny Mikey. You pushed yourself too hard and got injured as a result. You can't scare me like that," Megan said.

Mikey replied, "Wait, that scared you?"

Bridgette quickly said, "No, she meant you scared us, right Geoff?"

The party guy scratched the back of his head and said, "Um, I guess so." Bridgette giggled slightly at her boyfriend as Megan nervously glanced at Mikey.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Just to make things clear, I was worried about Mikey because I don't like it when people get hurt. That's the only reason why, honest.

* * *

Joseph was stretching when Noah sat down next to him. The overachiever glanced over at his friend and said, "So, how's the course?"

"Tiring. Draining. Need I go on," Noah asked sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, it doesn't look that bad," Joseph said while chuckling.

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Perhaps for you it isn't, but I'm not the prime example of physical fitness."

Joseph laughed and said, "Look, I wanted to ask you something. About the, um, partnership."

"Yes, what of it," Noah asked. "I was wondering if we could add another member to our ranks," Joseph replied.

Noah raised an eyebrow and said, "Depends. Is it Heather?"

"No, I wouldn't like to associate with her. The person I have in mind is smart, and has few enemies here," Joseph said.

"Well, can you tell me who it is," Noah asked.

"Fine," Joseph said as he whispered the name of the person to the know-it-all.

Noah shrugged and said, "I guess so, I mean it couldn't hurt, right?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Perfect. Now that Noah approves of the new member, it's only a matter of time before this game is under my control. (The overachiever smiles darkly)

* * *

Team 2 (Joseph, Ezekiel, Julie, and Gwen)

The four team members were lined up at the starting line. Joseph looked determined; Ezekiel had a nervous look on his face; Julie was smiling as she tied her shoe; and Gwen was crossing her arms and scowling, upset over how annoying Heather had gotten lately.

Chris rang a buzzer and the teens raced off, Julie volunteering to go first and answer the first two questions. The rest of the team followed and reached the other side of the floating platforms as Julie finished Carl's problem. Julie then headed over to the rope swing as the rest of the team followed.

As Julie worked on the second problem, Joseph said, "So Gwen, I regret to report that my investigation to locate who eliminated Leshawna has come up empty so far."

Gwen looked at the overachiever and said, "Oh, well that's okay, I guess."

"Don't worry, I will try my hardest to pinpoint who did such a thing before one of us are eliminated," Joseph said reassuringly.

Gwen smiled slightly and said, "Thanks. I'll handle the next two problems."

Gwen ran across the barrel to Owen and answered the problem while Ezekiel said to Joseph, "Sorry I didn't really listen to yoo, eh."

"No harm done, Zeke," Joseph said with a smile. Gwen easily solved her problem and the team proceeded through the tires.

Sadie was waiting and when Gwen arrived, she said, "Oh, hi Gwen! Here's your problem: How does one find the tangent of an angle in a triangle?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and said, "Divide the length of the opposite side by the length of the adjacent side."

"Yay! You got it right! You can go now," Sadie said as Ezekiel took the zip line down the hill.

When the prairie boy reached the bottom, Duncan saw him and muttered under his breath, "Damn, why does home school have to be now? Why couldn't have been Gwen?"

Ezekiel stopped near Duncan, who was sitting around cutting some wood with a knife. "Um," Ezekiel said, "aren't yoo, supposed to give me a problem, eh?"

"I would, but I don't feel like it. Chris is okay with it too," Duncan said with a smirk.

A moment later Joseph arrived and said, "Is this like what happened with the last team?"

Duncan said, "You know it."

Soon after, Gwen arrived and Duncan said, "Hey Gwen. How's everything going?"

Gwen sighed and responded, "Okay, I guess. Courtney and Heather have been giving me a hard time though."

"What's Courtney doing this time," Duncan asked as he shook his head.

"She keeps claiming that I'm trying to steal you from her," Gwen replied.

Duncan smirked and said, "Don't worry. I'll talk some sense into my girlfriend. Oh, you should probably get going."

Gwen noticed that the rest of the team was scaling the hill and she said, "Crap! Thanks Duncan, I gotta go!"

She ran off and Duncan chuckled to himself, saying, "You know, if Courtney ever dumped me, I could hook up with Gwen."

Gwen started to climb the hill as quickly as she could, so she could catch up with her teammates. When she arrived at the top, Julie said, "Where were you?"

Gwen replied, "I was talking to Duncan for a moment. I didn't cost us any time, right?"

"No, Zeke's taking a while to do this problem," Julie said.

Just after she finished her sentence, Ezekiel called out, "Yes, I did it!" This caused the team to hurry forward, though none were faster than the overachiever.

"Looks like those suicide sprints in baseball came in handy," he muttered as he swiftly crawled across the sand pit. By the time the rest of the team had crossed, Joseph had finished Beth's problem. He again hurried to Chef as the rest of the team worked their way through the final obstacle.

Gwen smirked and said to Julie, "I think we've got a good chance at winning this."

Julie, as usual was smiling, and said, "That may be true, but don't tempt fate."

"What does that mean," Gwen inquired.

They arrived to find Joseph standing there. When Ezekiel didn't show up for a moment longer, the overachiever started to tap his foot impatiently. After another couple seconds, the prairie boy finally appeared. This caused Joseph to make a mad dash toward the finish line. Gwen, Julie, and Ezekiel had to try their hardest to keep up with Joseph and not cause their time to be lower.

When all four people made it back to the start, Chris said, "Nice time! You finished the course in 3 minutes 42 seconds. However, two questions were wrong so I'm adding 11 seconds, for a final time of 3 minutes 53 seconds! That is the time to beat when Team 3 goes in five minutes. In the meantime, I'm going to grab a coffee."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: That wasn't too bad. We have the best time right now, so hopefully we can retain the lead, or at the very least, second place.

Gwen: I can't believe that Duncan doesn't have to listen to Chris just because he is a fan favorite. That's pretty cool. I wish I could stand up to McLean, but I could lose the money.

* * *

Joseph found Courtney walking back outside by herself as he left the Confessional. He smiled as he walked up to her and said, "Hello Courtney."

"Hello Joseph. How hard is the course," the CIT replied.

"You will be able to handle the course. I wanted to ask you something, however," Joseph said in response.

Courtney shrugged and said, "Well, okay, what is it?"

Joseph took a deep breath and said, "I would like to invite you to join an alliance. Not necessarily to dominate the game, but to watch our backs."

"Let me guess, Noah's in it too, correct," Courtney asked.

Joseph gulped and said, "Perhaps. What would make you think that?"

Courtney smiled and said, "Well, you hang out with him all the time, and now you ask me about an alliance. It makes sense."

"Okay, you broke me," Joseph said with a sigh, "Noah is in the alliance too. I'm only asking because that way, you can pay me back for helping you on day one. What do you say?"

Courtney looked down at the ground for a moment and said, "You said we won't try to dominate the game?"

"Correct. This will be nothing like Heather's alliance on TDI," Joseph said reassuringly.

"Well, I suppose I can join. I don't want to make it obvious though. I have enough enemies as it is," Courtney commented.

Joseph nodded before replying, "I can accept that. Thank you for joining the alliance. If your team is up for elimination later, I will give you a suggestion on who to vote for."

"Hold on," Courtney said threateningly, "I will join, on one condition."

"Well then, what is the condition," Joseph asked.

Courtney looked up and smirked, before replying, "I will join your alliance, so long as we get rid of Gwen at some point."

"That can be arranged," Joseph said with a smile.

By this point the two were back outside, and separated, Joseph heading over to where Noah was and Courtney going to sit by her team.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: So Joseph convinced Courtney to join our alliance. He said something about disposing of her when she was no longer useful. I hope he knows what he's doing.

Danny: I noticed that Joseph uses the confessional more than any other contestant on the show. Why do I have the feeling that he's hiding something from us?

* * *

Team 3 (Cody, Nicholas, Bridgette, and Megan)

The next group of four was waiting near the start. Cody was happily smiling happily, confident that he would perform well. Nicholas was a little nervous, as he was not into academic subjects. Bridgette was neither anxious nor confident, as she knew she was okay at math, but not the best. Like Cody, Megan was confident due to her aptitude for math. Chris was not yet back and the four teens were discussing their plan.

"I think I should go first," Nicholas said, "because I'm not the greatest at math."

"Fair enough, I can go last, if you two don't mind," Cody offered.

"That's a great idea. I'll go before you, if you don't mind Bridgette," Megan said.

Bridgette shook her head and responded, "That's fine by me."

Chris walked over, a coffee cup in his hand and said, "Okay, who's ready to go?" He was met by silence and said, "Well okay, ready, go!"

The four teens ran to the platforms and Nicholas jumped across first. Bridgette went across next, followed by Cody, who helped save Bridgette from falling into the water on more than one occasion. Megan brought up the rear, hoping that all would go well. Nicholas answered the problem with ease and went to the rope swing.

Megan went across the rope swing next, followed by Bridgette and then Cody. Nicholas answered the female intern's question and let Bridgette go to the next obstacle.

The mechanic looked at the tech geek and said, "Pretty cool course, right?"

Cody shrugged and said, "I guess. I'm kinda scrawny so it's not that easy for me."

"True, but still it's difficult without it being insane," Nicholas said while grinning. Bridgette solved the next problem somewhat easily and progressed to Sadie's problem.

Megan said to Cody, "So you ready to win this challenge?"

"You know it! So long as we don't screw up, we should do fine," Cody said confidently.

Megan smiled and said, "Well, we are good at math, so this should prove to be a good challenge for us."

Bridgette had finished her next problem and said, "Okay Megan, you're up."

The nice girl said, "All right," before she rode the zip line. At the bottom, Duncan again was waiting, although this time the wood was starting to take the rough shape of a skull.

Duncan looked up for a second at the nice girl before he said, "There's no problem here. Wait for your team and then go up the hill."

"Well, okay then," Megan said unsurely.

Bridgette was the next one down and Duncan said, "Well, well if it isn't Malibu."

"You know my real name Duncan, why don't you use it," Bridgette said, the slightest tone of anger in her voice.

"Why? Geoff doesn't mind when I call you that," Duncan stated nonchalantly.

Bridgette replied, "Yeah, but I'm not Geoff! And I do mind when you call me that!"

"Calm down Bridgette," Megan said, "No need to get angry at him."

"Yeah," Cody, who had just gotten to the bottom of the hill, added, "Duncan gets enjoyment out of annoying people, right?"

"Only some people," Duncan said, his hands raised in defense.

"Guys," Nicholas said.

"That doesn't give you free reign to do it," Bridgette said in an exasperated tone.

"Guys," Nicholas repeated.

"She's actually right, Duncan," Megan said, "You can't do things just because you feel like it."

Nicholas shouted, "Guys!"

"What," Cody said as he turned around. He noticed the mechanic standing there and said, "Crap!"

The scrawny tech geek ran to the hill, along with Bridgette, who climbed the obstacle with Cody. Megan and Nicholas soon followed. When Megan finished her problem, the other three went straight across the sand pit, just as they had planned. Cody solved his problem just as Megan made it across the pit. This allowed Cody to go through the final obstacle.

Bridgette and Megan were making their way through the final obstacle at the same time. "So, how goes things with your crush," Bridgette asked the nice girl.

Megan blushed slightly and said, "Well, I don't know if he catches the signs I give him."

Bridgette giggled and said, "Well, if you need something else to impress him, compliment him in some way. Everybody likes a sincere compliment."

"That's true. Okay, I'll try it," Megan replied.

When all of his teammates made it through the obstacle, Cody finished the problem, allowing the team to sprint to the finish. "And Team 3 finishes with a time of 3 minutes 47 seconds. Not the fastest time, I may say, but since they didn't get any questions wrong, they take the top spot! In about five minutes, Team 4 will be up," Chris said as the four crossed the finish line.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Okay, now I have to give him a compliment. What should I compliment though? Since I'm complimenting a guy, this makes things so much more difficult.

Bridgette: I'm sure that Megan won't screw this up. I mean, she can't say much worse than what Geoff said to me back during season one: "You pitch a tent like a guy." Now that I look back on that however, I laugh, simply due to Geoff's slight clueless-ness. It's one of the things I love about him though.

Chris: Why are half the confessions here about love? Why can't they be about drama, like every confession Joseph makes?

* * *

Bridgette and Megan walked back into the stands, to sit near a waiting Mikey and Geoff. It looked like they had been talking about something important, but dropped the subject as the girls approached.

"Nice performance out there Megan," Mikey commented before saying, "Oh, and you too Bridgette."

Bridgette and Megan both smiled and happily replied "Thanks."

Then Geoff said, "So Bridgette, is the course hard?"

"Dude, I already told you, the course is easy so long as you have some physical ability," Mikey said with his forehead in his hand.

Bridgette giggled and said, "Geoff, Mikey is right, the course was fairly easy. Nothing gave me too much trouble."

Megan tapped Mikey on the shoulder, which made the gamer turn. Upon seeing the nice girl he said, "Oh hey Megan, what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I think it was brave of you to continue on with the course even after you got hurt," the nice girl replied.

"Well, it's either go big or go home and I don't want to go home yet! I want to make it to the merge, if I could," Mikey replied.

Megan sighed very slightly before saying, "Yeah I suppose that makes sense."

The gamer caught the sigh from the nice girl and said, "Anything bothering you Megan?"

"Nope! Nothing at all," Megan hurriedly said as she smiled, "If you excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." The nice girl ran off to the building with a slight blush plastered on her cheeks.

After seeing the scene, the gamer said, "Well that was weird."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: What could be the cause of Megan's odd behavior? Could she be getting sick? No, that wouldn't make sense. Perhaps she's secretly bipolar, but why would it only happen just now? (Mikey seems nervous as he says the next reason) Or maybe its, well, that, um, time of month? I honestly have no clue. I should ask Geoff, he knows a lot about girls.

* * *

William was waiting at the starting line even though there was still three minutes until he was scheduled to go. Joseph approached the crazy guy and said, "Wow, you seem determined."

"I know. I promised a friend that I would do everything I could to win," William replied.

"Interesting. Just be careful not to be reckless and get injured. That could get you eliminated," the overachiever replied.

William smiled slightly and said, "Thanks. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Now I have William's trust, or at least he thinks I have good intentions. Boy, will he be in for a surprise. (The overachiever chuckles darkly)

* * *

Team 4 (Courtney, Trent, Jessie, and William)

The next team of four was standing by the starting line. Courtney and Trent looked confident. Jennifer was cheering her boyfriend on from the stands. Jessie looked fairly confident as well, but she did not show it as much. William still had the sword strapped to his back, and an almost unnerving look of determination upon his face.

Chris walked over to the four and said, "Okay you guys, once Chef gets back from starting to prepare lunch, we can begin the challenge."

Approximately a minute later, the tough chef walked over and said, "Hurry up pretty boy! Can't let the food burn!"

In the stands, Geoff whispered to Mikey, "Maybe it would be better if it were burnt." The gamer chuckled slightly.

Chris held up his favorite air horn and after counting to three, hit the button, causing the signal to go off. The four teens who were supposed to be running covered their ears at the loud wailing noise.

When the ringing in their ears stopped, William shouted, "Oh crap!" He then took off at full speed with Trent, Courtney, and Jessie following the crazy guy. When he arrived at the first problem, he solved it as quickly as possible and ran off, leaving Carl the intern standing there confused.

When Trent got to the first station, he said, "Wait, where's William?"

"Oh, he already went on to the second problem," Carl said, not looking up from a magazine he was reading.

"Oh well, c'mon guys," Courtney said, "we need to catch up to him." Courtney led the charge to the rope swing, to find William standing on the other side, his arms crossed, and an annoyed look upon his face.

"Well, who's going next," William asked.

Trent took the rope and swung to the other side before saying, "I'm up next." He proceeded to run across the barrel, William not too far behind.

Courtney and Jessie had to play catch up, on the other hand. Courtney muttered to Jessie, "If we lose because William is being too headstrong, I'm voting for him."

"But he promised his friend he would do well. He's only trying to live up to his promise," Jessie said quietly.

"That may be but a loss is a loss," Courtney replied.

Jessie quietly said to herself, "That didn't really make much sense."

By the time the two girls had reached Owen, Trent and William were nowhere to be seen. Owen saw the confused looks on the girls' faces and said, "Oops. I told Trent and William they could go on, sorry."

Courtney smiled and said, "Well, it's okay Owen. Thank you for apologizing."

"You're welcome Courtney! Good luck," Owen cheered as the two girls made their way to the fourth station.

By the time they made it, William was not being very patient, as he was pacing back and forth. He saw Courtney and grabbed her arm before saying, "Hurry up and go down the zip line! I don't want to lose this!"

Courtney muttered, "Jerk," before going down the zip line and landing near Duncan.

"Well look who it is, it's Princess," Duncan said with a smirk.

"Hello Duncan," Courtney said flatly.

Duncan arched half of his unibrow and said, "What? You aren't excited to see me? Because I seem to remember that one time you visited my house and we-."

Courtney interrupted Duncan by saying, "Duncan! I thought I told you not to talk about that! Anyways, it's not you, it's William. He shoved me at the zip line because I was 'taking too long.' Anyways, he's really getting on me nerves."

"I'll teach him a lesson," Duncan said while punching his palm repeatedly.

Just then, said crazy guy got to the bottom of the hill. Duncan walked up to him and grabbed his shirt collar. The punk lifted William into the air by his shirt collar and angrily said, "So why did you push my girlfriend at the zip line? Give me one good reason why you did that and maybe I won't beat you up."

"It's called a challenge, you idiot," William said as he kicked Duncan's chest, causing the punk to release the crazy guy's shirt.

William landed on the ground and took the sword off of his back, holding the wooden blade in a fighting position, making a battle stance. Duncan laughed and clutched his forehead he was laughing so hard.

After a moment of laughter, Duncan said, "You look like Harold, you dork."

"What, do you not accept my challenge," William accused, "because if so then that would make you a chicken!"

Duncan scoffed and pulled out a lighter and a can of air freshener, before saying, "You really think I would back down from a fight? Let's face it; your stupid twig can't stand up to the power of my makeshift flamethrower!"

William cringed at the thought of his gift being lost to flames and he strapped the sword back onto his back. The crazy guy then said, "Seeing how superior your weapon is, I choose to withdraw."

Duncan rolled his eyes and saw that Trent and Jessie were now both present. "Whatever, just go finish the challenge. I'll see you later Princess," Duncan said while smirking during the last part.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "We'll see about that, Duncan." Duncan shrugged as the team left.

Courtney and William were climbing first, William jumping over railings on the zigzag path as Courtney climbed the ladder. There was little surprise when William beat Courtney to the top of the hill.

"God, you don't like to stand still do you," Courtney asked William.

William rolled his eyes and said, "Only during a challenge. Honestly, I thought you would understand that. Get going on that problem."

Courtney narrowed her eyes and said, "No."

"What was that," William asked, his eyes narrowing as well.

"You heard me," Courtney hissed out.

William retrieved his sword and glared at Courtney for a moment before swinging at the CIT. The crazy guy swung horizontally and Courtney bent over, almost as if she were in a game of limbo. She then rolled to the side as William swung vertically. William tried to stab directly downward at Courtney but right before the sword would hit her, it fell to the ground. Courtney looked up and saw Trent keeping the crazy guy in a headlock.

"What, you're on her side," William managed to say.

Trent looked serious and said, "Yeah, I kinda am."

"Well then, you must be more of an id-," William started to say before being interrupted by a kick to the crotch, courtesy of Courtney.

Trent released his headlock and William slumped to the ground, only able to say, "Mommy." Trent looked back down the hill and gave a thumbs up to Duncan, who gave a thumbs up to Trent in return.

Trent turned around and said, "You should probably get going on that problem, Courtney."

"Yeah, thanks back there," Courtney replied.

"No problem. I'm pretty sure you would have done the same if our roles were reversed," the musician replied.

Jessie joined Trent and the sobbing William and said, "I'm ready to go."

Courtney walked back over and said, "Well then, go right on ahead." The shy girl nodded and dashed off.

The CIT turned to the musician and said, "Should we help carry this creep?"

"Well, if we don't we lose more time," Trent replied.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "I suppose. You grab his legs, I'll grab his arms."

Trent nodded and grabbed the sword that was lying on the ground and placed it on the semi-conscious crazy guy's back. The musician and CIT carried William through the sand pit and at the next station, he started to recover. "Oh, what hit me," William moaned.

Courtney glared daggers at the crazy guy and said, "My foot. Wanna get hit again?"

William defensively held his hands in front of his crotch and said, "No thanks. I'm good."

The three were quiet as they traversed the final obstacle and raced to the finish line. Chris stood with a smile on his face and said, "Well, that could've been the most dramatic run of the day! Anyways, you guys finished with a time of 3 minutes, 37 seconds. However, with 3 questions wrong, they now have a score of 3 minutes, 58 seconds. This means that they automatically are up for elimination, along with Team 1. Team 3, you automatically have invincibility. Team 5, in about five minutes, you will run to see if you or Team 2 have invincibility!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

William: (The crazy guy looks really guilty) I think I was trying a little too hard and that cost my team the win. Wait, does that even make sense?

Courtney: After his performance today, I won't be surprised if William goes home. Although, since Heather is up for elimination, he may be safe. Only time will tell.

* * *

Once Chris had left but before the four team members dispersed in the stands, William said, "Um, Courtney, Trent, Jessie? Can I tell you something?"

"This had better be good," Courtney said with a roll of her eyes.

William took a deep breath before saying, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I was acting during the challenge. I'm not normally serious about anything, and my sudden desire to be serious made me into a jerk. I hope you can forgive me."

Courtney's glare softened somewhat and she said, "Oh, well I'm not sure I can completely forgive you, but if it means anything, I'm sorry I kicked you in the crotch."

"No harm done. Actually, that was a lie, there may be some harm but I forgive you nonetheless," William said, his usual sheepish grin plastered on his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

William: Man, forgiving people for things you've done when you're guilty is one of the best feelings ever! (The crazy guy is grinning)

Trent: Okay, so maybe we didn't have the best run. Do you think that we were jinxed because I thought we had a good shot at immunity?

* * *

Team 5 (Geoff, Emily, Danny and Izzy)

The final five teens were lined up at the starting line. Geoff and Emily were chatting, Danny appeared to be in a meditative state, and Izzy was jumping around happily.

Chris, who had returned from wherever he went, grinned at the four students and said, "So, do you guys think you can complete the course faster than 3 minutes, 53 seconds?"

Geoff grinned and said, "Totally dude!"

Izzy, meanwhile, said the word "Yeah" over and over.

Chris then approached Danny, who had his eyes closed while leaning against the wall dividing the course and the bleachers. Chris grinned his sadistic grin and held up a megaphone close to Danny's ear.

Before the host could get a chance to turn on the amplification device, Danny grabbed it. Without opening his eyes, the honorable teen ripped it out of Chris' grasp, and smashed the megaphone over his knee, similar to how one would break a stick. Sparks were erupting from the fragments of the machine that lay on the ground. **[3]**

Danny finally opened his eyes and said, "Yeah, I know we're about to start."

The entire audience in the bleachers was dead silent until Joseph quietly muttered, "Damn."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Danny: (The honorable teen is smirking) Chris may think he knows everything, but he doesn't. While it may have appeared like I wasn't paying attention, I was paying even more attention while in my meditative state. Basically, when I meditate, my senses are sharpened, but only when I keep my movements to a minimum. (Danny looks serious for the last part, then starts grinning) Did you see the look on Chris' face when I broke his megaphone?

Chris: (The host is staring blankly at his hand, where his megaphone used to be)

* * *

After a few minutes of shock, Chris snaps back into host mode. "Well, we can always buy another megaphone," Chris said.

"You can, but I can't," Chef grumbled.

Chris turned to his semi-co-host and questioned, "Wait, why?"

Chef glared at Chris and shouted, "'Cause ya never give me my paycheck, fool!"

Chris rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh boy, not this again."

Danny, who was no longer meditating, asked, "So when can we get this challenge started?"

"Just a minute! Chris, where's my paycheck? I want my money," Chef angrily yelled at the host.

"We'll settle this later, Chef. As for the challenge, go now," Chris said as the final group of four took off. During the break between Team 4's run and their run, they decided to have Geoff go first, followed by Izzy, then Emily and lastly Danny. Geoff pulled ahead of the other three and happily shouted as he crossed the platforms.

As Danny prepared to cross, he chuckled and said, "Geoff is having way too much fun with this challenge."

Emily nodded and said, "Yeah, he may be, but it's in his nature, can you blame him?"

"I suppose you are right," Danny replied with a smile.

The three teens heard Geoff shout, "Righteous! I got it right!"

This caused them to hurry their crossing of the platforms and when they got across, Geoff ran to the rope swing and swung across, bellowing a mighty, "This is awesome man!"

Izzy grabbed the rope next and said, "This is just like the time I was in this jungle, yeah. It's a great story, I should tell it to you some time!"

After the crazy girl swung across, Danny offered the rope to Emily, being the gentleman that he is. The dancer smiled and accepted the kind gesture, the honorable warrior following right after she crossed.

The two rookies successfully made it across the pit and waited for Geoff to yell, "All right Izzy, go on ahead!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna be the greatest ninja mathematician ever! Let's go," Izzy happily cheered as she charged across the barrel.

Once she made it to the other side, the psychotic girl stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened, a big grin appeared on her face, and she charged at an unsuspecting happy-go-lucky teen. Owen was tackled from behind and heard Izzy happily babble, "Izzy missed you Big O!"

The large teen turned around and hugged Izzy saying, "I missed you too Izzy! Wanna make out?"

Izzy looked at the ground and shook her head before saying, "Sorry, but I can't."

"Oh no, you're breaking up with me, aren't you? I can change, I really can," Owen said fearfully.

"No silly! I just gotta finish the challenge first, and then we can make out," Izzy happily chirped.

"Oh yeah, you have a challenge. Well, I'm going to let you just go," Owen said with a smile.

"Really," Danny asked as he, Geoff, and Emily walked forward.

Owen nodded and said, "Yeah, if Duncan can do it the entire challenge, then I can do it once, right?"

Geoff smiled and said, "That totally makes sense dude. High Five!"

The party boy and large teen high-fived and then the team took off, Izzy shouting back, "I'll see you after the challenge, Big O!"

Owen waved and shouted back, "See ya after the challenge, Iz."

Izzy was walking on her hands through the tires and Emily couldn't happen to think out loud, "How does she do that?" However, she was at the back of the group, so her words did not reach any ears.

Izzy completed the challenge soon enough and Emily went riding down the zip line. When she reached the bottom Duncan was sitting around, putting the finishing touches on the skull that he was carving.

A loud, "Dude!" caused Duncan to look up to see Emily, who waved at the punk. Duncan awkwardly waved back until Geoff came running over.

Geoff and Duncan exchanged a fist bump as the party guy cheerily exclaimed, "Duncan dude! What's up?"

The punk shrugged and said, "Nothing much. You?"

"This course is awesome! Some of the obstacles are so righteous, like the zip line. You seriously gotta try it," Geoff enthusiastically said.

Duncan smirked and said, "Well, don't let me stop you from having fun. Keep going, the rest of your team is here anyways."

"Later, dude," Geoff said as he approached the climb back up.

Izzy and Emily went first, Izzy climbing the ladder. Geoff and Danny followed soon after. As they were climbing, something was bugging Danny and he said, "Um, Izzy? You're aware I'm looking up your skirt, right?"

"So? People look up my skirt all the time. I don't mind," the psychotic redhead replied.

"All right," Danny said uncomfortably, "I just wanted to know if I should have gone before you, so you wouldn't be uncomfortable."

Izzy cackled slightly and said, "But that's exactly why I wear a skirt! I'm not uncomfortable."

"Right," Danny replied, seemingly unconvinced. The honorable teen then grew wide-eyed with fear. He was fearful for two reasons. First, he did not want to face Owen after looking up the skirt of the happy-go-lucky teen's girlfriend. Second, he did not want to make Izzy angry, for he had no idea what she could do to him if she got mad.

Regardless, the team continued onward, the dancer solving the next problem in no time at all, Danny bounding forward to bring a victory to his team. The honorable warrior teen quickly crawled across the pit and answered the problem while his teammates caught up.

Once, Izzy, Geoff, and Emily were all accounted for, he continued through the final obstacle. Geoff followed, cheering wildly. Emily giggled and chased after the two boys. Izzy cackled wildly and made haste through the final obstacle. Izzy emerged as Danny finished the problem and the four sped off to the finish line.

Chris, as usual, was waiting, but all the interns were present as well, awaiting the results of the challenge. As soon as the final member crossed the line, Chris happily announced, "Team 5 finishes with a time of 3 minutes, 45 seconds. However, they got one question wrong. Their final time is…"

Chris grew silence as he let the tension set in. The four who just finished were sweating, both from the course and the tension. Joseph looked nervous, awaiting the end. Julie was not smiling, and Ezekiel pulled his toque over his eyes, the pressure getting to him. Gwen was the only one whose expression hadn't changed.

Chris smiled and said, "3 minutes, 42 seconds! Team 5 wins invincibility! Now today has been a long day. Lunch will be ready soon and then about an hour after lunch, Teams 1, 2, and 4 will meet me in the auditorium for elimination!" Chris departed and let the teens and interns talk, with the exception being the two interns who had never been competitors, who left with Chris.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Danny: (He pumps his arms in victory) Hah ha, yes! Finally, I have invincibility! Take that, people who thought I would never get invincibility! (He calms down and grows slightly fearful) I hope that Owen wasn't mad that I looked up his girlfriend's skirt.

Owen: Chris showed me this footage from Izzy's run on the course and in it Danny looked up her skirt. I don't really care, because she's fine with it. And if Izzy is fine with something, so am I. Plus, she looks way better when we- (The footage is mysteriously cut off)

* * *

Owen bounded up to Team 5, who hadn't dispersed yet. He gave Izzy a great bear hug and said, "Izzy that was a great run you had!"

"Oh, I know," Izzy giggled.

Danny looked nervous and said, "Um, Owen, about me accidentally looking up Izzy's skirt. I'm sorry and I offered to go before Izzy but she started climbing before I had a chance."

"Oh, don't worry about it! If Izzy's fine with it, I'm fine with it, simply because Izzy is the greatest thing to happen to me," Owen said, happy as usual.

"Aw, you," Izzy cooed and kissed her boyfriend. Danny shrugged and left, leaving the couple in peace.

* * *

Chef announced that lunch would be served in five minutes, so the teens were heading in. Joseph had called William over, waiting for the others to leave.

When the two rookie boys were the only ones still standing outside, William asked, "So what did you want to tell me?"

Joseph smiled and said, "Well, I heard a rumor that somebody who's single likes you."

"No way! Tell me who," William eagerly responded.

"Well," Joseph whispered, leaning near William so the crazy guy can hear, "I heard supposedly that Gwen likes you. I suggest you do something to get to know her better during lunch."

William grinned a goofy grin and replied, "Oh, thanks man!"

"Now hold on, you didn't hear this from me," Joseph said, the slightest hint of venom in his voice.

"I hear you loud and clear! Oh, wait, I don't hear you loud and clear," William excitedly said as he left.

Once the crazy guy was out of earshot, the overachiever pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I swear, if that guy ruins my plans, he is so dead."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Yeah, I know I used the clichéd, 'you didn't hear this from me' line, but what can I say, it works. Anyways, now William should get himself eliminated, if he already hasn't.

* * *

In the cafeteria, the students were trying to eat their meals, emphasis on trying.

"Um, I don't think meatballs are supposed to be orange and furry," Mikey said as he poked the meat with his fork.

Geoff was poking his pasta with a spoon and said, "And I don't think tomato sauce is supposed to be green, dude."

"I'm pretty sure that a salad isn't supposed to have blue carrots and brown lettuce, although brown at least is a typical color for lettuce, when it rots," Bridgette remarked.

Megan grimaced when she opened a carton of milk and saw that it was solid. She shrieked, "Ewwwwwwww! Look at this milk! It's solid!" To emphasize, she turned the carton upside down and shook it. After about a minute, a solid mass of what used to be milk fell down onto the table.

The other three teens sitting at the table glanced at what was supposed to be milk, and then up at Megan. All four people got up, threw away their food, and sat down at a different table.

Then, William walked into the room. He skipped out on food and instead chose to sit next to Gwen.

The Goth girl looked at the crazy guy and said, "Um, hi William. Any reason why you chose to sit next to me?"

"I had some feeling telling me to sit next to you," William said, still smiling.

"Okay? Anyways, I wanted to thank you for giving a hard time to Courtney earlier. She's been getting on my nerves the entire season. She keeps claiming that I like Duncan when I clearly don't," Gwen replied.

William nodded and commented, "I know what you mean by that."

Gwen raised an eyebrow and said, "Wait, you do?"

William grinned even more by before and said, "Yeah." The crazy guy then leaned forward and kissed Gwen right on the lips. Gwen went wide-eyed at his action.

When William broke the kiss and leaned back, Gwen did the one thing anyone sensible would do when kissed by somebody out of the blue: She slapped him. Hard. A resounding "K.O." was heard through the loudspeaker system, in a voice that sounded nothing like Chris'. **[4]** William fell to the ground as everyone looked in shock or amusement as to what happened.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: What the hell was that? As weird as it sounds, I think his brain was affected when Courtney kicked him in the crotch.

* * *

In the winner's lounge, Owen, Izzy, Danny, Emily, and Cody were sitting around talking. They heard the "K.O." coming from the loudspeaker and Emily asked, "What was that about?"

"I dunno. I don't think we missed anything important," Cody replied.

* * *

Back in the cafeteria, William got up off the ground and said, "Wait, so you don't like me?"

Gwen glared at him and said, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Um, nothing," William said his head down.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: (The overachiever is laughing hysterically) Did you see that? The look on Gwen's face was priceless! And so was William's reaction afterwards! It looks like my plan was a success! And so, I vote for William.

Mikey: Dude, that was so uncool. I'm voting for William.

Gwen: Do I even need to say it? William.

Heather: Well, the longer that William kid stays, the more tortured Gwen is. In that case, I vote for the gaming geek, Mikey.

William: (The crazy guy is enraged) Joseph lied to me! I have to vote for him!

Ezekiel: I would vote for William, but I don't like Heather.

* * *

Chris and the twelve vulnerable students were sitting in the auditorium. Chris was grinning like a mad man (no, not William) and said, "Well, quite the dramatic day, huh? Anyways, let's get down to business. You all voted, and I have eleven hall passes. Whoever does not get a hall pass must walk the hall of shame to the bus of losers and must leave Total Drama High School, forever! The first hall passes go to those that didn't get any votes: Noah, Courtney, Ezekiel, Gwen, Trent, Jessie, Jennifer and Julie!" The host tossed the hall passes to the eight students. They all moved to the side seating.

The final four looked, nervous. William just looked down sadly. Heather was filing her nails. Mikey had his arms crossed and was squeezing them. Joseph looked slightly confused, but otherwise unafraid. Chris smirked and said, "The next two passes go to Joseph and Mikey!"

The two rookie boys claimed their passes and joined the other safe contestants. "So now, it is down to two," Chris said, "And only one pass. The final pass goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Heather"

The queen bee smirked and said, "Serves you right, you loser."

William just sat there, shaking. He finally jumped up and said, "Fine! Vote me off! I don't really care anymore, since you voted off my best friend last time! I'm actually glad to be leaving!" The crazy guy sprinted out of the auditorium, bringing his sword with him.

The remaining competitors stood there for a moment until Noah said, "Let's go." The others nodded and followed the know-it-all outside.

Chris waited until everyone left and then said, "And so departs one of the most dramatic students yet! But Joseph's plotting continues! I love that kid; he keeps the ratings coming in! Anyways, what diabolical challenge can I come up with for tomorrow? Will we see another real relationship bloom? Can I think of any other questions to ask? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!

* * *

Votes

William – 9 (Noah, Courtney, Joseph, Julie, Jennifer, Trent, Mikey, Gwen, Jessie)

Heather – 1 (Ezekiel)

Joseph – 1 (William)

Mikey – 1 (Heather)

**

* * *

**

[1]

– The first three obstacles are similar to the first three obstacles in the first round of the American Ninja Warrior course.

**[2]** – Leeroy Jenkins is the most famous, or maybe infamous, paladin in World of Warcraft. He does just as Noah said he did.

**[3]** – Instead of trying to imagine what the broken megaphone looks like, look up what the broken timer looks like for the Speed Slice event in Wii Sports Resort. I imagined it would look like that.

**[4]** – Yet another reference to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and probably the last for awhile. Or maybe not, we shall see.

* * *

Fun Facts - This being the first installment, it will cover all five eliminated contestants.

Leshawna - I actually like her character, and that is what prevented her from making it farther. I didn't want to mess up on writing her character so I eliminated her first. Next time she shows up, she will make it farther, I promise!

Alexander - He didn't have much going for him, so he was basically cannon fodder. On a side note, I based his appearance off of one of my friends, who is very outgoing.

DJ - I initially didn't know how I was going to eliminate him, but then I made use of his loving/nurturing/caring personality. He didn't want to shoot anyone, because despite it being laser tag, it's not in his nature to shoot people.

Rebecca - I had a lot of fun with her character, but it was not going to last long, as I didn't have any plotlines with her, or at least none that haven't been resolved. I count the wooden sword symbol a plotline. If you think it isn't, well too bad!

William - Well, besides the whole promise plotline, he didn't have anything going for him. Still, I had fun with his crazier side in this chapter.

* * *

Finally, the next chapter is done! This took an incredible amount of time to write, and having exams certainly didn't help. However, that doesn't change the fact that it is done! As you can see above, I started a new segment about eliminated contestants. Bascically their role in the story. I don't know why I called it fun facts, but it's there. If you could please review, I would appreciate it. Plenty of people read this, but only one has reviewed it. Thanks. Until next time!


	7. Chapter 6: Do I Sense Chemistry?

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Franchise is owned in no way by me. If it were, Alejandro would've been more backhanded.

Warning!: This chapter's challenge is chemistry. I remember nothing from my high school chemistry class, so every experiment performed is pure fiction. I just chose random colors for the chemicals. If you find chemicals that are the same colors and mix them, attempting to perform the experiments performed in this chapter, I cannot take blame for whatever may occur.

* * *

Chris McLean was calmly standing in front of the high school, a coffee cup in his hand. He took a sip of the caffeinated drink and sighed before saying, "Last time on Total Drama High School, the students raced in groups through an obstacle course. Along the way, they had to solve math problems, which took a backseat to the drama! And there was plenty of it! We had Mikey insulting Heather, Heather insulting everyone else, and William being a jerk to his teammates, mostly Courtney! After some shrewd manipulation by Joseph, William was eliminated, not only due to his new attitude, but also because he kissed Gwen! With William's departure, Izzy remains as the only crazy contestant left. But will craziness help in today's explosive challenge? How many students will have something blow up in their faces? And will somebody get me a new coffee? Find out the answers to all these questions right now, on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

As usual, Chef was grumbling as he drove the bus to the school. Before they arrived at their destination, some of the contestants were discussing the previous day's events.

Mikey was talking with Megan, who was seated across the aisle from the gamer. "So yeah, if I did happen to win, I would probably buy a car and the 3DS gaming system. After that, I would save the rest for college," Mikey said.

Megan nodded and said, "That's interesting. I would probably buy a car and then set aside about one or two thousand for any spending I would need to do. After that, the rest would go into a bank account to be used for college expenses."

Mikey replied, "Well I think for all of us, college is on our minds. Whoever wins will probably save most of the money for college. So what type of car would you get?"

Megan tapped her chin in thought for a second before saying, "I don't really know what brand, but I will probably get an energy efficient car."

"Ah, you want to help the earth and all that, right," Mikey asked.

"Yeah. So what kind of car would you get," Megan questioned.

Mikey smiled and said, "Well, I'd probably get a car that is like part sedan and part sports car, if that makes any sense."

Megan nodded and said, "Yeah, I think it does. The price and shape of a sedan with the power and speed of a sports car, right?"

"You got it," Mikey replied, still smiling.

Elsewhere on the bus, Courtney was sitting near Trent and Jennifer, the couple sharing a seat. "Well, thankfully that little pest William is out of our hair. I can't believe how much of a jerk he was yesterday," Courtney said, attempting to initiate a conversation. She had quite a few enemies, but relatively few allies, not counting Noah and Joseph.

Jennifer shrugged and replied, "I guess he was acting really mean, but you have to consider the fact that he was just trying to do his best."

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "I suppose, if where he lives trying your best means you become a jerk."

Trent sighed before saying, "You two are both right. William was being a jerk, but he was trying to fulfill his promise."

"Aww, Trent, you always know how to stop people from fighting," Jennifer cooed before kissing her boyfriend's cheek.

Courtney smiled and said, "I'll leave you two alone."

The camera then shifted past Geoff and Bridgette, who were making out, and rested on Julie, Jessie, Nicholas, Emily, Cody, and Gwen.

"I can't wait to find out which people are on our teams today," Gwen sarcastically commented.

Cody tapped his chin for a moment, and said, "Well, the number of contestants is a prime number, just like on the second day, so maybe Chris will let us pick our own teams."

Gwen raised her eyebrows and then smiled slightly, replying, "Wow, I wouldn't mind that."

Cody grinned and tried to be suave as he asked, "So Gwen, if that's the case, would you mind teaming up with me?"

The Goth girl shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't see why not."

Cody looked elated as Emily tapped on his shoulder. The tech geek turned and asked the dancer, "Can I help you Emily?"

"Um, if you are right about being able to pick our own teams, can I be on your team too," Emily asked.

"Sure," Cody said while nodding.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Cody: (The tech geek looks around the confessional) I never knew this was here. I was wondering why we had an old coach bus as transportation. Anyways, I don't know if I should be happy or disappointed with myself. I have two girls that I wouldn't mind going out with, but I feel as if I'm leading Emily on. I still kinda like Gwen, but Emily is so sweet and I don't want to hurt her. What should I do?

* * *

Nicholas turned to Jessie and asked, "Would you mind working with me, provided Cody is right?"

The shy girl nodded and said, "I think that would be great."

"Awesome," the mechanic said with a smile.

Julie looked over at the two and said, "Is it okay if I join you in the challenge?"

Nicholas looked at the optimist and said, "Of course! The more people we have, the more likely it is that we will be successful."

The camera then panned past Heather, who was scowling, Ezekiel, who was staring out the window, Izzy, who was relating a story to Danny, who looked slightly freaked out, and rested on Noah and Joseph.

Noah was reading one of his novels and Joseph looked to be contemplating something. Out of the blue, Joseph said, "We need to eliminate a couple of threats, and soon."

Noah, not looking up from his book, replied, "Threats like who, may I ask."

"This will sound like Heather, but anyone in a relationship. They virtually vote together," Joseph replied.

"That's just making a wild accusation, you don't know that," Noah replied dryly.

Joseph shrugged and said, "I suppose that's true. There are some that can be eliminated soon that are generally disliked, but others, like one member of a couple, should be eliminated sooner than later."

Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what of Bridgette and Geoff? Are you going to split them up soon?"

Joseph nodded and replied, "No, because I believe that if we wait long enough, one of them will get eliminated due to their constant making out, like on TDA."

"Whatever you think is right dude," Noah said with a shrug.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Noah: I noticed that Joseph is talking more and more about targeting certain people and it's clear that I need to keep my eye on him. I want to trust him, believe me, but that may not be easy. At the worst, I have to keep his trust until he becomes too dangerous. I mean, imagine the irony if I was eliminated by the person I asked to watch my back.

* * *

The bus pulled up to the school and one by one all of the students departed the bus. As Izzy was about to exit, Chef said, "Crazy girl! I want to have a word with you." The former army chef grabbed the psycho girl and pulled her aside as the rest of the students made their way to the school.

Many of the conversations remained the same as the contestants walked toward the auditorium. When they entered, they saw Chris was standing on the stage dressed in a white lab coat. Some raised an eyebrow at Chris' new attire, while others just shrugged it off. There was a coffee cup on the podium and he had another in his hand.

Joseph bravely said, "What's up with the lab coat?"

"I'm glad you asked Joseph! You see, it has something to do with today's challenge. Before I announce that though, let me tell you that there are no official teams today, though you may work in a group of three, but no more than that. You could also work by yourself, if you so please," Chris said with his patent-pending smile.

Many of the teens scrambled about to group up, although some didn't move, waiting to see what the challenge would be first. Mikey and Megan quickly grouped up, as well as Geoff and Bridgette. Cody, who was grinning at his accurate prediction, was standing with Gwen and Emily. Nicholas, Jessie, and Julie also formed a group, as they had planned on the bus. Noah and Joseph stood near each other, but they appeared to be waiting to hear the challenge.

When all the commotion stopped, Chris grinned and said, "Alright, now that everyone is ready we can, wait, where's Izzy?"

"I saw Chef pull her aside as we were leaving the bus," Mikey replied with a shrug.

Just then the doors to the auditorium burst open and Izzy ran in screaming, "BANZAI!" The psycho girl jumped off a couple of chairs at the back of the large room and pulled a paintball gun out from behind her back.

When Chris realized this, he began to shout, "No, no, no, no, no!"

It was too late however, as the crazy girl shot off a half dozen rounds from the paintball gun, which resulted in Chris' lab coat to get splattered with blue and orange paint.**[1]** The host fell to the ground due to the force of the paintballs.

Some of the contestants, like Gwen and Heather, laughed at the misfortune of the host. When Izzy joined the rest of the contestants at the front of the room, Chris managed to get up and scowled at Izzy. Izzy just rocked back and forth on her feet and whistled nonchalantly as the host glared at her.

Chris cleared his throat and his smile went back onto his face as he said, "Now, as I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, today's challenge will be based on chemistry!" The reactions from the students ranged from excited, to disappointed, to annoyed, but one contestant went wide eyed and was unable to move.

"Now the producer told me the challenges this season weren't dangerous enough, so you have to mix volatile chemicals! There are 5 experiments that have to be performed and anyone who can complete all 5 without something blowing up in their face wins immunity! Everyone else will be heading to elimination! Don't worry, legal told me we aren't allowed to kill you, so anything poisonous or extremely dangerous will not be used. If at any time your current mixture explodes, you are eliminated from the challenge. With that, meet me in the chemistry lab in about 10 minutes," Chris said with a wide smile.

Chris then left and many of the students milled about, trying to finalize their groups. Megan was puzzled however, as Mikey had not moved at all from where he was standing. He had not even shifted his gaze from the podium Chris was standing at.

The nice girl went over to Joseph and said, "Hey Joseph, do you think you could help me see what's wrong with Mikey?"

The overachiever quirked an eyebrow and replied, "Um, sure."

Megan then led Joseph over to the petrified gamer. Joseph looked over Mikey and then snapped his finger in front of the gamer's face. After that resulted in no response, the overachiever tapped Mikey on the shoulder. Mikey then fell backwards onto the ground.

Only then did he manage to pick himself up and mutter, "Oh no, I'm so screwed."

Megan knelt down to make eye contact with Mikey, who was sitting on the ground. The nice girl looked into the gamer's eyes and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Mikey looked into her eyes and sighed before saying, "Well to be honest, this challenge is going to suck. Not because of the threat of explosions or anything, but because the challenge itself is chemistry. If you remember, yesterday I said there was one subject I would not like a challenge in because the teacher sucked. That subject was chemistry. It was the hardest class I ever took. Because of that, I came to despise chemistry. So now I'm going to not get immunity at all, due to how much I suck at it. I want you to do good however, so I'm not going to work with you. I'm not going to let my ineptness drag you down."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Megan cooed slightly.

Joseph cleared his throat and said, "I would be willing to help you, on one condition."

"What is it," Mikey asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Well, for the next three challenges," Joseph said, a smirk on his face, "I would like you to vote for who I want, if there is somebody that I want eliminated."

Mikey, whose eyebrow was still raised, asked, "And on the off chance I have immunity the next three challenges, then what?"

"Then consider it a friendly gift," Joseph said, his smirk never leaving his face.

Mikey thought it over for a second before saying, "Okay, deal."

Joseph shook the gamer's hand and said, "Good choice. Now I need to tell Noah he needs to find another partner, should he want one. See you in the chemistry lab."

Megan got up and offered a hand to help Mikey up, which the gamer accepted. "Do you still want me to not work with you," Megan asked.

Mikey shook his head and replied, "No, I want to have you on my team now. A friendly face that I can trust would be nice."

Megan raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't trust Joseph?"

"Not really. I mean, this is the first time he's been on my team, besides the laser tag challenge. On top of that, I don't know him that well. I'm sure I will trust him more as I get to know him better," Mikey said with a shrug. The two then departed, heading for the chemistry lab.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I feel so nervous right now. I mean, I was never good at chemistry. The fact that things could explode in my face doesn't help. That's not the only thing that's making me nervous though. You see, I- (The camera cuts to static)

Izzy: (There is a small glob of blue paint on the lens of the camera. A finger, belonging to Izzy, wipes it off. The paintball gun is strapped to Izzy's back.) Hopefully no footage was deleted when Izzy accidentally shot the camera. Anyways, I think Chef wants me to prank Chris, because he gave me the paintball gun and told me to shoot Chris! Izzy doesn't mind because pranking that sadistic asshole is fun!

* * *

When Chris finally arrived at the chemistry lab, the 19 students were waiting for him. Some, like Gwen and Heather, were scowling, while others, like Ezekiel and Mikey were nervous. Izzy was grinning madly and nobody felt compelled to work with her.

Chris finally opened the door to the large room and the various competitors stopped at the different workstations. When everyone was settled, Chris looked over the groups. Mikey, Megan, and Joseph were one group. Jessie, Nicholas, and Julie were another. Cody, Gwen and Emily comprised a third group. Trent and Jennifer were working together. Noah ended up with Courtney, because as he put it, "Intellectuals benefit from assisting each other." Geoff and Bridgette, to nobody's surprise, were working together. Heather, Izzy, Danny and Ezekiel ended up working by themselves.

Chris nodded to himself and said, "All right, time to begin the challenge. As you can see, there are step by step instructions on all the experiments. You have as much time as you need, though I doubt this will take more than an hour. Begin!"

There was quiet for a few seconds as each team read the first instructions. Then out of nowhere, there was a "BOOM!" as smoke gathered around Izzy's station. Izzy was cackling wildly as Chris looked slightly perturbed.

The host said, "Um, okay. Five seconds in and Izzy is already out. I think that's a new record in the fastest time it took for someone to get eliminated."

Noah shook his head and sighed, "Whose bright idea was it to let Izzy near chemicals anyways?"

"I dunno dude," Chris said with a shrug, "But that means Izzy can do as she pleases until the challenge is over. She could try to interfere with the others, or she can just relax."

Izzy nodded her head many times and said, "Okay, yeah! That sounds fun! I'll be right back!"

"Wait, where's she going," Chris asked.

Gwen shook her head and muttered, "With Izzy, it's better to not know." It then became quiet as the groups decided to work.

* * *

Mikey was a nervous wreck. He wasn't working on the first experiment, but he couldn't help but feel nervous. Joseph was carefully pouring a colorless liquid into a beaker with a liquid that had a slight blue tint to it.

Mikey, who anticipated an explosion, was shaking with anxiety. Megan picked up on this and grabbed one of Mikey's hands. The gamer looked at the hand that was holding onto his. Megan interlocked her fingers with the fingers on Mikey's hand. The gamer started to calm down slightly and he looked at the nice girl.

Mikey quietly said, "Thanks. I needed that."

Megan smiled in reply and whispered, "Don't worry; this is what friends are for." Mikey just nodded in response, the slightest blush covering his face.

* * *

Gwen, Cody, and Emily were working on their experiment. Currently, Emily was heating the mixture of the blue liquid and the colorless liquid until it bubbled. She was making small talk with Cody, the pair trying to make sure the liquid didn't bubble too much.

Gwen meanwhile, was keeping an eye on Heather, to make sure the queen bee didn't try anything too suspicious. Gwen saw something behind Heather that made her curious. One of the vents to the ventilation system was shaking. Soon the door popped off and was pulled inside.

Izzy slowly lowered herself down from the vent and stood behind Heather. Izzy pulled a bottle out from somewhere and opened it, pouring its contents onto a cloth. She quickly closed the bottle and then yelled, "Boo!" Heather shrieked as she dropped her lab equipment, the mixture of the liquids on the table causing a small explosion.

"Izzy! You made me lose! I'm going to get you elimin-," Heather said before Izzy put the cloth to Heather's face, the queen bee falling unconscious.

Gwen raised her eyebrow and said, "What did you use Izzy?"

"Chloroform," Izzy said, her usual grin on her face. She then blew air threw her fingers like a whistle and Owen came in.

"Owen," Chris said, his eyebrow raised as well, "What are you doing here?"

The friendly oaf pointed to Izzy and said, "Well, Izzy needed my help in making sure Heather doesn't keep some of the others from winning immunity."

"Wow, that's actually thoughtful of you Izzy. Thanks," Gwen said with a smile, mostly due to Heather being unconscious.

Izzy handed the unconscious Heather to Owen and then said, "Well, nobody really likes Heather, so might as well make her miserable, right?"

Chris, who grinned slightly, as the hatred between Heather and the other veterans was great for ratings, asked, "So how do you plan on making her miserable?"

"Owen is taking her to some area for the interns. Duncan gets to torture her while she sits in a bathroom stall. A bathroom stall that Owen had used a little while ago," Izzy said, a crazy smirk evident on her face. Owen went to give his girlfriend a kiss, but then the large teen farted.

"Well," Noah said with a monotone, "If there was any romantic mode before, you certainly ruined it Owen."

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Look, as much as I like the fact that you are keeping Duncan busy, is it truly necessary to have him torture Heather? Isn't putting her in a stall that was used by Owen enough?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow and said, "It's Heather. Why are you defending her?"

"We have to set some limits. Would you want to be in a stall that Owen had used and be subjected to whatever Duncan can come up with," Courtney asked.

"I suppose you have a point," Gwen said, her thoughtful look turning into one of anger, "But this is Heather we are dealing with."

Cody looked up from the experiment and said, "Um, guys? Izzy and Owen left with Heather." Gwen and Courtney looked at where the people had been and noticed that they were nowhere to be found. The girls shrugged and resumed what they had been doing previously.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: I have to be sure to thank Izzy. I was a little paranoid that Heather would mess up the experiment somehow. Thankfully, she's taken care of. Karma sure is a bi-

Izzy: I did everybody a favor because now they will probably be less harsh with me in case I do anything to mess them up! I don't know if I will, but with a crazy girl like me, anything's possible!

* * *

Geoff and Bridgette were carefully making sure that the mixture that had been heated was cooling correctly. The beaker was placed on top of a wooden block that, according to the instructions, would become icy when a third, yellow chemical was added to the mix. The pair would perform a step or two in the experiment and would then share a kiss or two or ten.

At one point, Bridgette looked over at Joseph, Mikey, and Megan and said, "Geoff, do you think Mikey and Megan would be a cute couple?"

The party guy scratched his head and said, "I dunno. I mean, they get along really well. They seem more like friends to me."

"I guess, but we were really friendly when we met on the island and now look at where we are," Bridgette said.

"When you put it that way, I suppose they could be a good couple. I don't really know, I'm not much of a matchmaker," Geoff said, his finger tapping his chin.

Bridgette giggled and said, "You may not be a matchmaker but you are definitely my match."

Geoff grinned and said, "Come here babe." The two then shared a kiss as the first experiment was completed.

* * *

Trent and Jennifer were moving along at a decent rate. They finished the first experiment and had already started the second one. The second experiment had started with mixing two colorless chemicals, one which was actually ammonia, and then stirring the mixture until it turned a translucent green.

Trent looked up from the directions that he was reading and said, "You're doing great Jennifer!"

The performing artist giggled and blushed slightly and said, "Thanks Trent. This is actually an easy challenge."

"I know. This season's challenges are actually pretty tame compared to those in previous seasons. There is only so far you can go when the challenges are school based," the musician replied.

Jennifer nodded and said, "Well, classes aren't too hardcore, which I suppose is a blessing for us."

Trent laughed and then said, "Well, the only thing I'm worried about is when there's a class based on P.E."

"Why? I don't see what could be so bad about that," Jennifer said with a confused look on her face.

Trent replied, "Well, there could be something like archery, hockey, or boxing. Those sports are kind of dangerous."

Jennifer nodded and said, "I suppose you are right. I wouldn't want to play those sports." The duo then went back to continuing the challenge.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: Trent is right. I really wouldn't want to participate in a challenge based on archery, hockey, or boxing. Maybe something more peaceful, like golf or bowling.

Trent: I like Jennifer. She's a lot like Gwen. They're both smart, independent and strong-willed girls. The one thing that makes Jennifer slightly better than Gwen is that she plays guitar, which is great considering how much I love guitar. Don't get me wrong, I won't forget the time when I was with Gwen, but I think Jennifer could be the one.

Chris Mclean: Interesting ideas for a P.E. challenge Trent. I won't use those sports but it does give me an idea for the next challenge.

* * *

Noah was quickly working on the second experiment. He was currently adding a blue chemical to the green mixture. When the total mixture turned light blue he was to stop and add a small pill to the mix. The pill would fizz and the mixture would turn golden.

As he worked at the experiment, Courtney was griping about something. "I can't believe Duncan. I mean, he's not doing anything and yet he can't come by to say hello? What's wrong with him? I swear, he's hardly been around me the entire time I've been here. I bet he's been spending time with Gwen. I'm going," Courtney ranted.

Noah was getting annoyed with her triad against why Duncan was not present. He dropped the pill into the beaker and said, "Will you be quiet? There are two things wrong with what you've been saying. First of all, as Izzy said, he's tormenting Heather. Secondly, I don't think he's been seeing Gwen, as she's been around us the entire time. I doubt she could have the time to see your boyfriend when she's been around us the whole time."

"I, well, I suppose you are right Noah. That's good reasoning as to why Duncan's not here right now and how Gwen couldn't be stealing him from me," Courtney said with a sigh of defeat.

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Well then, it's your turn."

Courtney looked astonished and said, "Wait, you finished the second experiment?"

"Look at the beaker. It's golden, isn't it," Noah said, a smirk on his face. It was true; the mixture in the beaker was golden.

Courtney said, "All right, let me get the things for the third experiment."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: (The CIT is going on a long rant about Duncan and why he should pay more attention to her. In order to not bore the readers, it has been edited out)

Noah: Courtney may be kind of whiny, but I have to respect her intellect. Someone who can manage class president and uphold phenomenal grades is impressive. Although I doubt she can uphold an A average while being class president and being the president of a school organization.

* * *

Julie was working on the third experiment. She had to mix a chemical with a tint of red with a chemical with a tint of blue. Anyone with any knowledge of how colors mix would know that the result would be a mixture with a purple tint. While the optimist worked on her mixture, Nicholas and Jessie talked.

"So you are a class officer? That's pretty cool. Not something I would do, but pretty cool," Nicholas said, smiling at the semi-shy girl.

She smiled back and said, "Well, what do you do in school? I must imagine you would be good at automotives or engineering, right?"

The mechanic nodded and said, "That is correct. I am in the automotive club in school. We actually build a custom float for a parade in the spring every year.**[2]** It's pretty cool."

"It sounds like it. So, you said you play videogames right? Which ones do you play," Jessie asked.

Nicholas looked surprised and said, "Well, I play Call of Duty, Star Wars, God of War, big Playstation games. I don't play them that often however. You know, I wouldn't think of you as one who plays videogames."

Jessie giggled and said, "Well, I have a brother and we play on the Nintendo occasionally."

Nicholas nodded and said, "Ah, Nintendo. It's been a while since I've played that but they are good. What games?"

"Actually, I watch my brother more than actually playing," Jessie said, sighing at the last part.

"All the Nintendo franchises are great. Mario has imaginative level design, Metroid is futuristic, so anything goes, and Zelda is a great open world game. I would say those are my favorite franchises," Nicholas said as he stroked his chin.

Jessie looked into Nicholas' eyes and saw something. She asked, "Are you remembering the times you had when you played Nintendo?"

Nicholas smiled and said, "I am. Thank you for helping me remember those times."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: I can't believe Jessie. She likes videogames, is interested in my interests and is easy on the eyes. I think I'm in love. (The mechanic stares blissfully for a few seconds until realization hits. His eyes go wide.) Did I just say that out loud? Oh, shi-

Jessie: I think I might be falling for Nicholas. He's pretty handsome and he has an interesting school life. I don't play video games that much, though. I kind of exaggerated a little. I can't help it; I think I'm in love.

* * *

Danny was hard at work on the third experiment. He made the purple mixture and then started to heat it. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and said, "Whew. Maybe I should've partnered up with someone. Oh well, it makes the victory all the more satisfying." He then went back to work, preparing to add a chemical with a yellow tint to it to the boiling purple mix.

* * *

Megan was currently working on the third experiment. She was just about to heat the purple mixture. She scratched the back of her neck and continued to work. Mikey, who was to the side to prevent interference, was shaking in apprehension.

Joseph took note of this and said, "Dude, you okay?"

"Not really. I mean, so many people are still in this and I'm next! The only reason why I volunteered to go near the end was because I thought other people would be eliminated by now. I didn't think everyone would be so good at this! I'm freaking out," Mikey said, still jittery.

Joseph grabbed the gamer and shook his shoulders, telling him to calm down. After about a minute, Mikey finally managed to calm himself.

"Thanks," the gamer said, "I needed that."

"Not a problem. One of my friends from school had a nervous breakdown last year. I did that for a half hour straight before he calmed down. I know how to calm people down," Joseph said, smiling slightly.

Mikey nodded slightly before saying, "I'm just extremely tense, you know?"

Joseph patted the shoulder of the shorter teen and said, "If it helps, you can try to psyche yourself up or something. For example, every time I take a test, I say I'm going to fail it before taking it. That way, when I actually take it, I seem like I know the subject better. It's almost like reverse psychology."

"Well, I can try. I'm not entirely sure how, but I can try," Mikey said, his smile returning.

"Try telling yourself that this is impossible. That way, when you actually do the experiment, it seems infinitely easier," Joseph said, smiling as well.

Mikey smiled and said, "Thanks, I think I'll try that."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Okay, so if I ever need to take down Mikey, I need to use chemistry. I noticed how apprehensive he was even after trying my strategy, so if we fail on his turn, he won't have any faith in his abilities.

Megan: That was nice of Joseph to help Mikey when I couldn't. Although, I think he was coping better when I was helping him.

Mikey: (The gamer is covered in soot) I…don't think Joseph's strategy helped me.

* * *

Courtney was currently taking the brown mixture (from the heated purple mixture and yellow chemical) and dropping a nickel into it. She was still mumbling about Duncan not paying enough attention to her and Noah was getting tired of it.

"Courtney," Noah said somewhat angrily, "Tell me, is there anyone besides Gwen you want eliminated?"

Courtney tapped her chin for a moment and said, "I don't know, Izzy maybe? Heather too."

"Oh, not Ezekiel? I'm surprised," Noah replied slightly cynically.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "I'll have you know that I forgave him for what he had done. I might've been the only one but still."

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever." Silence then took over the atmosphere of the pair.

* * *

Cody was pulling the nickel out of the brown mixture and washing it off using one of the nearby sinks. This would be the final step in the third experiment.

Gwen, who was to the side along with Emily said, "Cody's pretty good at this. I'm surprised."

"Well, he is pretty smart. That's one of the things that all of his fans like about him, at least from what I've seen online. That's one of the things I like about him," Emily said as she swooned slightly.

"I'll admit, I'm surprised that he hasn't been trying to get my attention as much. I mean, he did have that major crush on me during TDI but you may have caused him to lessen his attempts to win my affections. I have to thank you. I mean, I like Cody as a friend but his constant attempts to win me over were kind of annoying," Gwen said with a shrug.

Emily raised an eyebrow and said, "Thanks?"

Cody wiped his forehead and said, "Done. Gwen, you want to do the next one?"

The Goth shrugged and said, "Sure, why not." Gwen walked over to the table while Emily and Cody began to talk.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: I hope Emily understood what I meant. Cody is a great guy to be friends with but if he was constantly asking you to go out with him, he would wear on you too. Don't get me wrong, Emily's a great girl and I hope she hooks up with Cody at one point.

Emily: So was that a compliment or something? Then again, I don't mind. Gwen's nice, but Cody was all over her in season 1. If I can get him to like me more than a friend, I will help Gwen and myself. Everyone wins!

* * *

Jessie was currently adding a red chemical to a white one to make a pink one. A rose petal would then be dropped into the mixture and it would disintegrate. Some part of the rose petal would remain though, and it would be removed with a strainer. Nicholas was staring intently at what the supposed shy girl was doing.

Julie noticed this and said, "You like her don't you?"

Nicholas sighed and said, "Don't tell anyone, but yeah, I do. I don't know what it is about her that I like so much. Regardless, I've always kind of liked her, but if we remained friends, I suppose that wouldn't be too bad."

"Are you afraid to take a risk and see if she likes you," Julie asked.

The mechanic sighed and replied, "Yes. I first thought she might like me the other day during the woodshop challenge because she said she would be interested in my mechanical skills. I shrugged it off though, because I thought she just wanted to expand her skill pool."

Julie shook her head and said, "Don't shrug it off! If a girl seems interested in things you like, it generally means she likes you."

"You know what, you're right. I'm going to talk to Jessie right now," Nicholas said as he walked over to their work station.

"My work here is done," Julie quietly said to herself.

* * *

Ezekiel was still on the third experiment. He never learned much chemistry back home and so he was slower than most of the others. He was working when he thought he heard something behind him. He shrugged it off, thinking it was the air circulating in the vents. It wasn't until he heard a loud "Boo!" from behind him that freaked him out. He cried out, "Ahhh!" There was then a small explosion as too much of the red chemical mixed with too much of the blue one. He turned around to see what had happened to see his face millimeters away from Izzy. The prairie boy screamed again and ran away from the psychotic redhead.

* * *

Mikey heard the screams from down the long line of workstations, but shrugged it off as he tried to focus on Joseph's kind words. It was only until Ezekiel jostled him and caused too much of a clear chemical to be poured into the pink mixture that Mikey became unnerved. He lost all confidence when the mixture then exploded in his face, covering him in soot. Megan looked concerned and ran off to find a wet cloth for her friend.

* * *

Gwen was doing the same thing Mikey was doing when Ezekiel came by and hit the Goth's arm, causing too little clear chemical to be added. Gwen started to scowl at the prairie boy, even more so when the mixture exploded.

* * *

Courtney was waiting for the rose petal to disintegrate while Noah held the colorless chemical when Ezekiel ran around the room, screaming. He hit the bookworm in the back, causing the clear chemical to spill and yet another explosion.

* * *

Prior to Ezekiel being eliminated, Nicholas walked over to Jessie. The mechanic stopped and cleared his throat. Jessie turned around and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi Nicholas, what's up," she asked.

Nicholas asked, "Um, do you want to take a break or something? Do you want to talk?"

Jessie nodded and said, "Well, okay sure. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, do you remember the woodshop challenge? You said you wanted to see me use my mechanical skills," Nicholas nervously said.

"Yeah, I did, why," Jessie asked.

Nicholas scratched the back of his head and said, "I was um, wondering why you wanted to see them."

Jessie stepped closer to the mechanic and said, "I wanted to see how good you were with machines. I think it's pretty interesting."

Nicholas moved a little closer and said, "Really? You know it's like car maintenance that I'm best at, right? I know some building concepts, but working on a car is what I'm best at."

"That's fine. It seems like that would be useful to know," Jessie said, moving closer.

The two teens were now right next to each other, their heads tilted inwards. Julie was watching with anticipation, hoping the two would kiss. Their lips were mere millimeters away. Nothing could stop the inevitable kiss.

Except Ezekiel causing their work to explode. The prairie boy had run by and knocked over the beaker, causing the contents to combust.

Jessie turned in shock and said, "What? Aw crap! I was almost done with the experiment.

Nicholas also swore under his breath, saying, "Damn, she almost kissed me." The team looked sorrowfully at what was left of their work.

* * *

After Ezekiel's panic attack, the only remaining teens were Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Jennifer, and Danny.

Chris walked in and viewed the carnage and laughed, "Oh man, that is too much! Okay, I'm calling it now, since so many people have been eliminated from the challenge, there's enough people to vote. Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Jennifer, Danny, you five win immunity!"

Geoff and Bridgette celebrated their usual way: by making out. Trent and Jennifer shared a short, sweet kiss. Danny just grinned to himself.

"The rest of you, elimination. One hour. Don't be late," Chris said as he exited the chemistry lab.

As they left, Joseph whispered into Mikey's ear "Ezekiel."

The gamer nodded and said, "Way ahead of you."

* * *

Joseph met with Noah and Courtney, who exited together and said, "I believe who we are voting for is clear."

Noah said, "Ezekiel."

Courtney said, "Izzy."

Noah raised an eyebrow and said, "Why Izzy?"

"She made Ezekiel go crazy, why not her," Courtney argued.

"Touché Courtney," Noah retorted. Joseph looked at Noah when Courtney was not looking and nodded.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Noah and I went around convincing people to vote off Ezekiel. Most people didn't even need any persuasion, however. I love how things work out the way you want them to.

Mikey: (The gamer is no longer covered in soot) I have to vote for Ezekiel. He kind of screwed everything over for most teams, including mine. Now I can't stand chemistry even more.

Heather: I don't know what happened after Izzy knocked me out, but I vote for the psycho hose beast.

Ezekiel: I vote for Izzy, eh. She scares me way too much.

* * *

After many teens took a shower and removed soot from their faces, fourteen met in the auditorium. Chris no longer wore a lab coat, but he still had a coffee. He took a sip of the hot drink and then said, "So fourteen are up for elimination. That's a new record. Zeke dude, are you ever going to get immunity? Anyways, enough commentary, there's thirteen hall passes and fourteen of you. Whoever doesn't get a pass must immediately walk the hall of shame to the bus of losers and can never come back, EVER! First, to those who received no votes: Noah, Mikey, Courtney, Megan, Nicholas, Heather, Joseph, Jessie, Gwen, Cody, Emily, and Julie."

The twelve survivors claimed their pass and stepped to the side. Izzy looked shocked that she was in the bottom two and started to dart her eyes around. Ezekiel looked down at the ground and sighed, having already lost hope.

Chris looked at the two and said, "Ezekiel, you are here because you caused most people's experiments to blow up. Izzy, you caused Ezekiel's panic attack, which caused the explosions. Now only one pass is remaining. The final pass of the day goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Izzy."

The redheaded psycho jumped in the air and shouted for joy. She claimed her pass as Ezekiel sighed and got up, preparing to leave. He stared down at the ground as he left the room, not saying a single word to anyone.

Those who got a hall pass slowly started to file out as Chris started his closing dialogue, "And so the next episode of Total Drama High School draws to a close. Ezekiel has left as so has a minor competitor. Things are starting to hear up! How do the students deal when getting physical? Does Cody truly like Emily, or are his feelings still for Gwen? Is Bridgette going to keep getting immunity? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!

* * *

Votes

Ezekiel – 11 (Mikey, Megan, Joseph, Noah, Julie, Nicholas, Jessie, Gwen, Cody, Emily, Izzy)

Izzy – 3 (Courtney, Heather, Ezekiel)

**

* * *

**

[1]

– The colors Blue and Orange are important to me because they are the team colors of a favorite team of mine. If anyone can figure out what the team is and in what sport/organization, you win a cameo appearance!

**[2]** – In my hometown, there is a big fair every may. The automotives club at my high school prepares a float for the parade that accompanies this fair. It's pretty cool actually.

* * *

Fun Fact!

Ezekiel was never intended to go far. I made him like a punching bag for comedic reasons. One example of a punching bag? He never won immunity. It was his time to go.

* * *

Well, another chapter is done! Sorry about the wait, but school and robotics really took time out of this. Updates should be quicker from now on, but I'm not promising anything. Anyways, if you took the time to read this, please review. It could be short, long, good or bad. Any review at this point would be nice. Please check out Total Drama Zombieland, especially when I get the next chapter done, and please read my newest fic, Scott Pilgrim vs The Island. Featuring the Canadian badass, his friends, and his enemies, it's sure to be a wild ride! Until next time!


	8. Chapter 7: It's Time to Get Physical!

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, nor do I think I ever will. Oh well.

Author's Note: Worry not, I am not dead! This chapter took forever because school's a bitch, Pokemon Black is awesome, and I had a slight case of writer's block. The next chapter is here now though, isn't that important? There's a lot of action and less dialogue, so if you like character interaction, sorry.

* * *

Chris McLean was, surprise, surprise, standing in front of the high school. He had a whistle around his neck and was wearing a baseball cap with black and white stripes, similar to a referee. He blew the whistle and said, "I love this thing! Anyways, last time on Total Drama High School, the students were forced to mix volatile chemicals. Most had something blow up in their face, and it was hilarious!"

The host laughed at the misfortune of the contestants. He regained his composure and said, "We also learned that Mikey hates the class, as he had a bad experience with it. On a tenderer note, Nicholas and Jessie almost kissed, until Ezekiel ran by and ruined their work. Ha! Speaking of the home schooled prairie boy, he was forced to walk the hall of shame by the losers. Last episode presented us with several questions. Will Nicholas and Jessie rekindle the relationship they had started? Will Heather remain bitter at Izzy for knocking her out with chloroform? Will Joseph use underhanded plotting to take down his next target? Find out the answers to all these questions right now on Total Drama High School!" The host blew the whistle again and said, "Boy, do I have some plans for this."

* * *

The bus ride was fairly calm, as usual. Geoff and Bridgette were talking to Gwen, Mikey, Megan, Cody, and Emily about topics that don't move the plot along. Every once and awhile, somebody would say a joke or a funny story, causing the others to laugh. This laughter would cause a certain queen bee to glare over at the group. Heather would not glare at the group for long, as she was busy boring holes into the back of Izzy's head.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Heather: Izzy and I were never on good terms to begin with. The fact that the psycho hose beast keeps inhibiting my progress this season is not making her any better in my book. If she's on my team again, I might just scream.

* * *

Heather continued glaring until someone said, "You know, glaring at someone isn't going to help you at all."

Heather, surprised, turned around and noticed that Joseph was the one who had commented on her actions. Heather sneered and said, "Maybe I don't like her. What do you care?"

"Just trying to help a fellow contestant from being eliminated. You have the potential to go far, just like in season one," Joseph said, an odd smile on his face.

"I already know I can go far. Why would you risk talking to me? I'm not miss popularity around here," Heather said, glaring momentarily at the large group nearby, as they had laughed again.

Joseph smirked and said, "Oh Heather, you and I are more alike than you think." The overachiever then walked off, leaving a confused Heather behind.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Heather: What did that nerdy kid mean when he said we were alike? I'm suspicious of him and I won't stop until I find out who he really is.

* * *

Izzy meanwhile, was chatting with Trent, Jennifer, and Julie. Izzy was ending a story of hers, "And so that was how I was able to escape that RCMP officer chasing me through the woods with only a piece of string, a stick of gum, two nickels, and three sticks that were lying on the ground."

"Wow, I gotta admit, that sounds impressive," Trent commented.

Julie nodded and said, "It does sound impressive. I bet it was cooler to see in person."

Heather overheard this and began to narrow her eyes. "If you think anything that psycho hose beast says is true, then you have got to be stupider than you look," Heather angrily shouted, glaring at Izzy.

Julie balled her hands into fists and started to grumble angrily until Jennifer patted her shoulder, saying, "Don't pay any attention to Heather; she's just an angry person. Plus I'm pretty certain that she meant for that to hurt Izzy, she did knock Heather out yesterday."

Julie took a deep breath and said, "You're right. I should learn to ignore her. It's just snooty queen bee type girls make me angry. They're one of the only things that can make me angry." Heather heard this and grinned evilly.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Heather: So Julie can't stand someone like me, this could work to my advantage. All I have to do is make sure she loses the challenge, and then I have to upset her. She'll get angry at me and the others will vote her off for acting so out of character. It's perfect. (The queen bee smirks evilly for a moment until she realizes something.) I just realized, I'm the only one to use this confessional today. What's up with that?

Julie: (The optimist is sitting in a yoga position, meditating) I need to not let Heather get on my nerves so often. If I take deep breaths, I can ignore her.

* * *

Elsewhere on the bus, Nicholas and Jessie were sitting by the windows, on opposite sides of the bus. They were in the same row, but each teen was looking out the window, trying to think about what had occurred the day before.

Nicholas went over what happened in his head, thinking, "Well, I think it's safe to say she likes me. Still, she hasn't talked to me since. Maybe she's embarrassed over what happened. Regardless, Zeke interrupted the kiss, and for that, I voted him off."

Jessie, on the other hand, was thinking, "I wonder why Nicholas hasn't talked to me since yesterday. I hope I didn't scare him off by almost kissing him. If he got scared because of me, I don't know what I would do." Every once and awhile, one of the teens would glance at the other, and then look away.

Eventually, Nicholas gathered the courage to talk to Jessie. "Um, Jessie? Can I talk to you for a second," the mechanic asked.

Jessie turned around and said, "Um, sure."

Nicholas sighed and said, "Look, about yesterday, I-."

Jessie cut him off, saying, "I understand. I freaked you out. I'll stop."

With that the slightly shy girl got up and sat down somewhere else. Nicholas looked forward for a moment before cursing, "Damn it! What just happened?"

* * *

Bus Confessional

Nicholas: (The mechanic looks downcast, as he's looking down) Why does she think I don't like her? I do, a lot actually. I just wish she hadn't interrupted me. I was going to ask her out.

* * *

Noah and Courtney were sitting near the front of the bus. Noah, as usual, was reading one of his novels, while Courtney looked out the window nervously. Noah picked this up and, without looking up from his book, asked, "What are you so worried about? You haven't done anything yet."

"I'm nervous about being in an alliance. They've been in a negative light since Heather's alliance on TDI," Courtney whispered.

"Yeah, keep whispering, that'll get rid of any suspicion," Noah sarcastically retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Hello, my friends," Joseph said as he returned from the back of the bus.

Noah asked from behind his book, "So, any plans for today Joseph?"

The overachiever shook his head and said, "Nope. I'm going to let today's events transpire, then get rid of somebody appropriate."

Courtney, who was nervous still, asked, "So what makes you so much better than Heather?"

"Well, if you would like to know, I am not trying to separate any couples, unlike Heather. I will target somebody who seems appropriate. That separates the weak from those who I deem as worthy rivals. Worry not Courtney, I have a plan to get rid of Gwen for you. It will be my way of thanking you for supporting me. You just have to wait a little bit longer. If she leaves now, people will become suspicious, and suspicion gives rise to people learning the truth. If that happens, we all go home," Joseph said comfortingly.

"Okay, if you say so," Courtney said, unsure.

The bus then came to a screeching halt and people flew in different directions. Megan, who was going to use the confessional, fell down on top of Mikey, causing both teens to blush. Trent steadied Jennifer, who had stumbled slightly. Izzy laughed like a maniac as she hit her head on the ceiling of the vehicle. Geoff caught Bridgette, who had flown into the air like Izzy. Noah, Joseph and Courtney steadied themselves by holding their seats. Cody held onto Emily's hand while Gwen grabbed the windowsill. Danny stood through all this, as his meditative state allowed him to ignore chaos. Heather face planted on the floor of the bus, and nobody cared that much. Heather was even angrier when Julie fell on top of her. Jessie, who left the confessional, was thrown from her feet. Nicholas saw this and jumped into the aisle and caught the shy girl.

She looked up at the mechanic and blushed before tightly hugging him, saying, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Nicholas chuckled and said, "Don't mention it."

Jessie looked back into Nicholas' eyes. They stared at each other for a moment and then leaned their faces close together, preparing for another kiss.

Their lips were mere millimeters apart when Chef yelled, "Get off my bus maggots! I don't want to see you on here after I count to ten!" Everybody scrambled to get out when the large, intimidating chef started to count, "One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Um, uh, si, no wait, um, uh."

While Chef contemplated what number came after five, everyone had a chance to leave the vehicle. The teens were immediately met by Chris, who was wearing a black and white referee uniform. He smiled and said, "Welcome to another day of Total Drama High School! In case my attire did not give it away, today's challenge is a physical education challenge!" Some contestants looked ecstatic, while others looked as if they wanted to shoot themselves.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: PE? Seriously? Did Chris pick that just to get on my nerves because let me tell you it worked! If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, sports aren't my forte.

Joseph: (The overachiever is pumping his arms in victory) Yes! Yet another thing that I excel at! I have utter confidence that my team will win, because given the number of people, the challenge is probably baseball.

Mikey: Meh, I'm okay at sports. I'm by no means a star athlete, but at least I try my hardest. I've got high hopes for my team.

Courtney: I think I'm pretty good at sports. Some people would wish Tyler was here, but to be honest, that would only be true if I wanted to lose.

Bridgette: I'm pretty athletic, but I excel at water sports. I can hope for a swimming challenge, right?

Megan: P.E.? That shouldn't be too hard. I mean, I play field hockey and lacrosse, so I'm pretty fit.

* * *

Chris smiled at the contestants and said, "Today's challenge will be comprised of 3 mini challenges. There will be two teams, rookies vs. veterans. Whichever team wins two of the three challenges wins invincibility! Follow me to the venue for the first event."

Chris led the eighteen teens to a field with a baseball diamond. It looked like it was cheaply set up, as the bases were empty sacks of flour, the dugouts were just rusty benches, and the pitchers mound was a sheet over a pile of phone books. Joseph looked horrified and said, "Dude, what the hell! Are you seriously that cheap?"

"No, but my hair gel is expensive," Chris replied, his sadistic smirk present. Joseph groaned while Chris said, "So, you get five minutes to strategize for the game. This game will be three innings, more if need be."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: As lucky as we are that it's baseball, I can't believe the condition of the field.

Noah: Does anybody on our team actually know how to play baseball?

* * *

Rookies

Joseph stood in front of his teammates and said, "Okay, I know many of you have probably never played baseball, but that's okay. I have played it for years and I know the positions. Now I need three people who are fast."

Danny, Nicholas, and Megan stepped forward. "Okay, you three will be outfielders. That means you go to the area farthest from home plate. The reason you need to be fast is because you have more ground you need to cover," Joseph explained. The three teens nodded. "Okay, now I need four people who would be good, all-around players. Decent speed, hand-eye coordination, etc," Joseph announced.

Mikey, Jessie, Jennifer, and Emily stood forward. Joseph nodded and said, "Okay, you play infield. You need to watch the bases and be ready to tag the others out if they come close." The infielders nodded.

Joseph turned to Julie and said, "Julie, I need you to be catcher. You will be behind home and catch the balls I throw at you. You will also be needed if somebody runs home."

Julie nodded and asked, "Okay, but what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to be the pitcher," Joseph said, a victorious smile on his face. The team then did a victory cheer and waited for Chris to start the game.

* * *

Veterans

The veteran team was in chaos. Heather and Courtney kept arguing over who gets to be the captain while shooting glares at Izzy and Gwen (Heather glared at both, but Courtney only glared at Gwen). Noah sat around reading as Izzy tried to tell him a story, ignoring his comments of, "I don't care" and "Somebody kill me." Bridgette and Geoff were making out, not helping their teammates in the slightest. Trent and Cody were standing next to each other, unsure of what they should do.

Pandemonium was abound until Noah shouted, "Izzy, will you leave me alone already!" Everybody stopped what they were doing when the somewhat quiet know-it-all shouted. Noah looked around sighed and said, "Okay, we have two minutes until the game starts. We need a captain. So who has played this game before?"

It was quiet for a moment until Trent and Geoff raised their hands. "Dude, we could totally be co-captains! This will be awesome," Geoff exuberantly announced.

Noah raised an eyebrow and said, "I suppose co-captains could work. Any objections?"

"Yes, I am more qualified to be leader," Courtney said, "I was a C.I.T. after all."

"And do you know how to play baseball," Noah asked, a smug look on his face.

Courtney stammered, "Um, well, uh, no."

Noah turned to the two co-captains and said, "I know I'm going to regret this, but what do you want us to do?"

Trent tapped his chin and said, "Noah I think you should be catcher, that way you don't have to run that much."

"Good, because I believe I've mentioned that sports aren't my forte," Noah replied.

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "We know."

Geoff then tapped his chin and said, "Well, I would be good in the outfield, as well as Bridgette and Trent. Izzy should be pitcher, because I think she can throw fast, right?"

Izzy nodded and said, "Yep! Once, I threw a marble 88 miles an hour in a thunderstorm! This lightning bolt struck the ground near me and then I couldn't find the marble. So yeah, I can throw fast!"

Trent nodded and said, "Good, so this leaves Courtney, Heather, Gwen, and Cody as our infield.

* * *

Just as both teams finished strategizing, Chris used his air horn. He said, "Okay students who are not as handsome as me, I need one representative from each team for the coin toss."

"What is this, American football," Mikey asked, slightly confused.

Joseph walked up for the rookies while Trent stepped forward for the veterans. The two shook hands and Trent said, "You can call it, if you want."

"Fair enough. Heads," Joseph called as the coin was tossed in the air. It landed heads up.

"Joseph, do you want to go first, or should the veterans be first," Chris asked.

Joseph smiled and said, "The veterans can have the first at bat." Chris flashed a thumbs up to Duncan and Owen in the Press Box, the only nice part of the field.

* * *

Inside the press box, Duncan said, "Hello Total Drama fans! I'm Duncan and my pal Owen and I are going to be commenting on the baseball game that's part of today's challenge. That's right, if you are listening to this, you are the first people to know the result of today's challenge! The rookies have taken their positions and first at bat for the veterans is Heather. This is going to be fun."

"You said it! This is gonna be awesome," Owen enthusiastically cheered.

* * *

Joseph stood at the plate, a baseball cap upon his head. Before the game started, he showed Julie a few signs for different pitches. She showed him a sign and he nodded before throwing a fastball. Heather missed it, but Julie didn't catch it either.

Heather scoffed, "You aren't cut out for this, stupid happy girl." Julie scowled and threw the ball back to Joseph. Heather rolled her eyes and said, "C'mon nerdy boy! Show me what you got."

Joseph smirked before throwing another fastball. This one hit her helmet, and despite it protecting her, she fell over. Chef blew his whistle and said, "She gets to walk to first!"

"Fine by me, it was satisfying just to hit her in the head," Joseph said, smirking at the queen bee. Heather angrily stomped over to first base and waited.

Next up for the veterans was Cody. The scrawny tech geek stood near home plate and waited. Joseph threw a fastball and it flew past Cody's face. The overachiever threw another fastball, this time curving it so that it moved to his left as it flew. Another strike against Cody was tallied as Joseph threw one final ball. Cody hit it and only sent it toward second base.

Heather started to run but noticed Mikey, the second baseman, catch the ball, getting Cody out. He threw the ball back to first and Chef called Heather out as well. Heather grumbled as she went back to her team's bench.

Up next was Trent, who approached the plate. He looked prepared, and Joseph smirked. The overachiever threw a curveball. Trent saw this and smirked in return. Trent hit the ball between left and middle field. Danny, who was the left fielder, ran toward the falling ball. Nicholas, who was the middle fielder, also ran toward the ball. The two collided, and the ball hit the ground.

Nicholas quickly threw the ball to Mikey, which kept Trent at second. "Dude," Nicholas shouted, "What the hell was that?"

Danny raised an eyebrow and said, "Um, I was trying to catch the ball, you know, the goal of the game."

Nicholas gripped his head and frustration and said, "Let me rephrase. Why did you crash into me?"

"I didn't crash into you. Rather, you crashed into me. The ball was more in my territory than yours," Danny responded.

"Fine, just try not to get in the way so often," Nicholas said, rather annoyed.

Back at the plate, it was Gwen's turn. The goth hit the baseball at an odd angle, causing it to pop up into the air. It sailed right to Jennifer, the first baseman, or basewoman, if that's what you want to call the position. Chef, who was dressed as an umpire said, "Three outs! Rookies are up in two minutes!"

* * *

In the press box, Duncan and Owen were watching the game eagerly, a tray of hot dogs in front of them. Duncan took a bite of the baseball food and said, "Well, this game's been pretty uneventful so far."

"Yeah, but I think the rookies will have a good lineup, with a baseball player on their team," Owen commented before saying, "These hot dogs are pretty good."

"Yeah, they are. I don't really care that it's like 10 in the morning, these hot dogs are too good," Duncan agreed, his unibrow raised in excitement.

* * *

Julie led off for the rookies. Izzy pitched a curveball to which Julie hit, but it popped up into the air and was caught by Heather, who shouted, "Ha! There's no way you can beat me fatty!"

Everybody's eyes widened. Julie started to tear up before running away, sobbing. Everyone, rookie and veteran alike, glared at the queen bee. Heather looked at all the glaring teens and said, "What? You can't tell me that she's skinny, because it's not true."

Everyone continued to glare until Chris said, "Um, I know what she said was major harshness, but this is a half hour show." Every teen, including Heather, rolled their eyes at Chris' remark.

Jessie was up next. Izzy threw another curveball and Jessie hit it up into the air, toward Heather again. Gwen smirked when she saw this. She ran full speed into Heather, knocking the queen bee over and causing the ball to fall on the ground, allowing Jessie to get to first base.

After Heather dusted herself off, she shrieked, "What the hell, Weird Goth Girl?"

Gwen simply shrugged and said, "It's not my fault you got in my way."

Heather huffed and turned around, only to notice Joseph hit the baseball. She watched the ball fly into the outfield, past the fence used to determine home runs. Duncan excitedly announced, "And the nerdy Joseph scores two runs for the rookies! The score is now 2 – 0! Next in the rookie lineup is Megan!"

The nice girl approached the plate and quickly hit the ball into the outfield. It landed just outside Trent's reach, allowing her to make it to first. Mikey, like Megan before him, hit the ball into the outfield. This time, it was heading toward Bridgette. She ran to catch the ball, but tripped over her own feet, allowing the ball to hit the ground and allowing the gamer to make it to second, while Megan made it to third.

Megan called to the gamer, "Nice hit!"

"Thanks! I didn't think it would've been that good," Mikey admitted, scratching the back of his head.

Megan shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, that's okay, it worked after all!"

Heather, who was between the two, shouted, "Will you shut up lovebirds? I'm trying to focus here!"

The two teens blushed and looked away from each other for a moment. A crack of the bat alerted them to what was going on. Jennifer hit a line drive at Heather, who dove to the ground in fright. Megan and Mikey ran, the gamer stepping on Heather in the process, and scored two more runs, at the expense of Jennifer getting tagged out.

Danny was the next to step up to the plate. The honorable warrior glanced at Heather as he hit the ball. It flew straight at Heather, who held up her glove in defense. The queen bee got knocked over as the ball hit her.

Everyone cheered until they saw the ball resting in the glove on her chest. The rookies then groaned as the veterans cheered for two reasons. Chef walked onto the field and said, "Veterans are back up in five minutes!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Heather: Why the hell is everyone out to get me all of a sudden? Okay, so maybe I've been a bitch, but I've been that way all season! Why do they now gang up on me?

Julie: (Her eyes are red from sobbing) Heather's such a bitch! I hope her team loses so they vote her off!

Geoff: Man, what Heather said to Julie is so not cool. That was like, major harshness. I know who I'm voting for if we lose.

Mikey: I like Heather less with every passing day, and I didn't like her that much to begin with!

* * *

Up in the press box, Owen and Duncan were discussing the game as well as the competitors. "So," Duncan asked, "Who do you think are four people who won't make it to the merge?"

Owen tapped his chin and said, "Well, Heather's definitely not making it. I don't really know who else besides Heather. Who do you think are four people that will make it to the merge?"

"Simple. Noah, Courtney, Joseph and Jessie will all make it to the merge, only because they are smart," Duncan replied with a shrug.

Chris peeked his head into the room and said, "Hey, just so you guys know, there's a minute until the second inning."

Duncan leaned back and said, "Cool."

Owen said, "Yeah!" After he said this, he farted.

"Ugh, way to go Owen," Duncan angrily said while pinching his nostrils.

Owen chuckled and said, "Sorry, hot dogs give me gas."

* * *

Izzy was up for the veterans, who were behind 4 – 0. She quickly hit the ball with all her strength, causing it to sail out of the park. "Yeah, I need to thank my friend E-Scope for that," Izzy cheered as she ran the bases.

The cheering would continue from Geoff, who cheered as he made his way to the plate, "All right dudes and dudettes, let's do this!" The party boy hit the curveball sent his way, but was only able to make it to first base.

Courtney approached home plate next and hit the ball with decent strength, but it went right to Megan, who was waiting in the outfield.

"Better luck next time Courtney," Joseph said, partially taunting, partially sincere.

Bridgette was next for the veteran lineup, and she hit a single, putting Geoff on second base. In the 'dugout' for the veterans, Noah was reading a book on baseball.

"Hurry up Noah! Get out there before Chris disqualifies us," Heather huffed indignantly.

Noah replied without looking up from his book, "Why? I'm clearly the worst player on the team and I wouldn't do much besides give us an out."

"Noah, the way this game works is that nine people go up before repeating. It's one of the rules," Trent explained.

Noah quirked an eyebrow before sighing and saying, "Fine, I'll go up, but if we lose, I don't want anyone holding this against me."

The smart teen approached the plate, where Joseph quickly threw two strikes. Joseph threw a fastball, which Noah actually hit. As many stared in shock that the least athletic person hit the ball, it sailed into the outfield. Megan saw it approach the wall that determines a home run and ran full speed. She jumped off of the wall so that she was able to catch the ball.

By the time it made it back to the infield, Geoff and Bridgette had scored two more runs. Just when it appeared like the veterans would catch up, Joseph quickly struck out Heather.

* * *

In the press box, Duncan still looked impressed. "Man, who knew bookworm had it in him," Duncan said, impressed with Noah's play.

Owen nodded and said, "Yeah I know. I bet he didn't even know he had it in him."

Chris entered and said, "Hey guys, you wanna be the MC for part two?"

Duncan raised an eyebrow and said, "Depends, what is it?"

Chris leaned near the two male interns and whispered something to them. When he was finished, Duncan scoffed and said, "No way. I don't mind baseball, since there are commentators for that all the time, but that sport doesn't even have commentators. I don't even know if it counts as a sport!"

"Suit yourself. Just don't say I didn't ask," Chris said as he left.

* * *

The veterans were in the field, ready for the next batter, which happened to be Emily. The dancer twirled the bat in her hands before looking at Izzy, a determined look on her face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: My thinking was that if I could do well in the game, Cody would be impressed. If I could do that, then I would be happy.

* * *

Izzy threw a fastball at the dancer, who then hit the ball with all her might, causing it to fly out to the outfield. It approached the home run boundary, and the outfielders tried their hardest to reach the ball, but to no avail as the ball landed outside the park. The rookies cheered as Emily ran the bases. Unbeknownst to her however, Cody was staring at something as she ran.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: Wow, when Emily runs, her boobs bounce around a lot. (He thinks about this for a moment more before he gets a nosebleed. When he notices this, he holds his hands to his face. He then remembers the camera is recording) What? Anyone who likes girls was probably thinking that right then.

* * *

The last member of the rookie lineup, Nicholas, took the plate. Izzy narrowed her eyes and said, "No more getting past me!"

"We shall see," was the mechanic's reply. Izzy threw a curveball which resulted in a strike. She repeated this to get another strike. When she threw the ball a third time, Nicholas swung and hit the ball to deep center, where Trent was waiting. The musician caught the ball and Nicholas was out.

Julie took the plate again, glaring daggers, swords, knives, and other sharp weapons at Heather. Heather noticed the sharp glare that was directed at her and shuddered. She was then met with a baseball to the stomach.

However, it had not resulted in a physical catch for the queen bee, so Julie was able to make it to second base.

Jessie was up yet again. Izzy threw a fastball that the slightly shy girl hit. The ball however went right to Izzy, who caught it. The crazy red head then threw the ball back to second, where Julie was tagged out.

* * *

Nicholas sat down next to Jessie, who looked sad for getting out so easily. Nicholas pat his crush's shoulder and said, "Jessie, don't feel bad about what happened. It happens to everyone who plays this game."

"Yeah, okay," Jessie said as she got up to leave.

Nicholas looked puzzled and asked, "Wait, where are you going?"

Jessie sighed and said, "I'm going to leave you alone. I know I probably freaked you out, what with almost kissing you and everything."

"But, what if I don't want you to leave me alone," Nicholas asked.

Jessie gasped slightly, her heart racing. She turned to face the mechanic and said, "Wait what?"

Nicholas shrugged and said, "I don't want you to leave me alone."

"But, what if I almost kiss you again? I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Jessie said, looking away.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kiss me? You mean like this?"

The mechanic wrapped his arms around the semi-shy girl and slowly brought her head to his. As her head approached his, Jessie's heart began to race even faster than before. She felt elated when Nicholas touched her lips with his. The kiss was tender and only lasted a few seconds, but that was enough to make Jessie feel happy.

Jessie sighed in pure delight and said, "Wow that was amazing."

Nicholas smiled and said, "I agree. That was fantastic."

"So does this mean you like me," Jessie nervously asked as she turned back to the boy who just kissed her.

"I wouldn't do anything if I didn't mean it," Nicholas said, smiling as he put his arm around Jessie's shoulder.

Jessie giggled happily and said, "Okay, now for the important question. Are you going to go out with me?"

Nicholas chuckled and said, "Like I said before, I don't do anything unless I mean it. Of course Jess."

Jessie raised an eyebrow and asked, "Jess? Is that your nickname for me?"

"Only if you like it," Nicholas said as he smiled.

"I like it," Jessie said as she leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: Yes! I got a girlfriend! Now if I happen to lose this, I won't feel bad about signing up, because I got a girlfriend.

Jessie: (She is staring dreamily out toward the wall.) I'm so happy right now. Nicholas likes me back, and better yet, he and I are together! (She taps her chin in thought before looking back at the camera) Jess. Hmm. I actually like it a lot. Maybe I could change my name to Jess. Or Jessica.

* * *

Back on the field, since Duncan and Owen did nothing of interest, the veterans were up one last time. Chef shouted, "The veterans have to score at least two to tie! Three to pull ahead!"

Cody stood nervously home plate. His team winning this challenge relied in no small part to how well he performed right now. If he screwed up, it was highly likely that the veterans would lose the first part of the challenge.

Joseph grinned maliciously as he quickly threw a curveball that resulted in a strike. Another curveball, this time in the opposite direction, resulted in a second strike. Joseph finally sent Cody packing when he threw a fastball right down the middle, resulting in a third and final strike.

Joseph wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as Trent came up to the plate. Determined to win this, the overachiever threw a fastball, which blew past Trent. A few seconds later, a second fastball went past the musician. Joseph smirked as he threw a third fastball. Trent hit the ball, but popped it almost straight up into the air.

Julie hurriedly positioned herself underneath the ball and caught it as it fell back down to the ground. Trent walked back to the dugout, thinking that while Gwen was good, their team was pretty much screwed.

Gwen, meanwhile, thought that she was a fairly decent ball player, and she would be able to turn the game into a win for the veterans. While she didn't like Heather, she disliked eliminations even more. Gwen accepted the first strike that was thrown as it was out of her comfort zone.

The second ball, a curveball, was perfect to her and the Goth hit the baseball into the outfield. Nicholas, with a newfound energy, ran under the falling ball and caught it, ending the game.

Chris walked onto the field and said, "All right! Rookies win the first event, but will they win the second? Everybody follow me!" The host led the students back into the school, into the gym, where several red rubber balls were sitting on a line.

"You wouldn't," Heather said.

Gwen rolled her eyes and said, "He would."

Noah angrily said, "Seriously? I mean, seriously?"

Cody smiled and said, "Please, we have a good shot at this."

Izzy cheered, "Yeah! It'll be like that time when we did this on TDI!"

"Yes kiddies," Chris said, patting an annoyed Noah on the head, "We're doing a challenge from season 1, right now! It's dodgeball! How it's going to work is there will be six people per team up at a time. It's best two out of three, so ideally each person goes up twice. I'll give you guys five minutes to get ready for the second part of the challenge."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Why did it have to be dodgeball? Doesn't Chris remember what happened the last time this was a challenge? (Noah's eyes widen in acknowledgement) That bastard Chris wants me to be eliminated. I see what he did there.

Heather: Way to go Chris. I bet you want us to lose so I can get eliminated right? I didn't forget how much of a "help" Noah was during this challenge the first time.

Nicholas: Come on, we got this in the bag. Most of their team is ex-Screaming Gophers, who lost this challenge during TDI.

* * *

Chef was sitting in a referee chair and blew a whistle, signaling the beginning of the first match. For the veterans were Geoff, Bridgette, Trent, Heather, Courtney, and Gwen. The rookies sent up Nicholas, Jessie, Mikey, Jennifer, Joseph, and Julie.

At the start of the match, Heather dove onto the ground a flung a ball at Julie, getting her out. However, due to her sliding maneuver, Joseph easily knocked her out. Chef blew his whistle and told the two girls to leave the field.

Geoff and Bridgette were staring down Nicholas and Jessie. Each of the teens had a ball. The four tensed up and threw the balls at the same time. Nicholas managed to duck and Bridgette tripped when she threw the ball, but Geoff and Jessie were not so lucky. The two teens were hit by the rubber balls and were eliminated.

Mikey threw a ball at Courtney, but the CIT dodged and threw a ball at the distracted Nicholas, eliminating him. Joseph quickly hit Courtney with a ball, eliminating her as well.

Jennifer flung a ball at Gwen, yelling, "Nothing personal!" Gwen got hit and was out, but not before Trent threw a ball at Mikey. The gamer and Goth left the court at the same time.

Joseph threw a ball at Trent, who used a different ball to block. Joseph's ricochet shot hit Bridgette on the shoulder, eliminating her. Jennifer winked at Trent causing him to smile. While he was distracted, Joseph lightly threw a ball at the musician, earning the rookies a win.

As the teens departed the court, Jennifer said, "Sorry I tricked you like that Trent. It was Joseph's idea."

"No worries. You're my girlfriend and I'm not letting this contest get between us," Trent replied a smile on his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Even though my specialty is getting people eliminated, that doesn't mean I know a good strategy when I see it.

Trent: I really think I have a good shot with Jennifer, and I'm not letting this contest screw up another relationship of mine.

* * *

The veterans were getting their lineup ready for the second match. Cody, Izzy, Trent, Gwen, and Geoff were ready to go, but they were waiting for a certain bookworm.

"Look, I know you guys would be better without me, so I don't see a reason as to why I should go out there," Noah drawled.

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "If you don't go out there, I can personally guarantee your elimination should we lose."

Noah stared down the queen bee for a moment, until he finally sighed and said, "Fine. Put me in the line of fire." Noah reluctantly got up and went onto the court.

* * *

The second match was set to begin. Cody, Izzy, Trent, Gwen, Geoff, and Noah were waiting for the match to start. The rookie lineup then stepped onto the court. In addition to the returning Jessie, Nicholas, and Joseph there was Megan, Danny, and Emily. The two teams stared each other down. Emily winked at Cody and he nervously waved back. Trent noticed this and pointed it out to Gwen, who smiled briefly. Chef blew his whistle to signify the start of the match.

Jessie and Nicholas, at Joseph's suggestion, stayed near the back and waited for the right time. Emily threw a ball at Gwen, who was promptly eliminated. Joseph traded rubber with Trent, resulting in both males being eliminated.

Megan threw three balls at Izzy, but the crazy psycho would not be hit. A well-timed throw from Emily eliminated Izzy, who was too busy with Megan to pay proper attention. Geoff threw a ball at Emily and got the dancer eliminated, while Cody threw a ball at Megan.

Nicholas and Jessie, each armed with a ball, stepped forward. They threw their projectiles in an 'X' like formation, confusing Geoff and eliminating the party boy. The new couple then tried a different strategy.

Jessie threw a ball high into the air. Cody positioned himself underneath it, attempting to catch the rubber ball. Nicholas got lined up for another throw while this happened. Danny noticed what they were doing and reacted. The honorable warrior dove across where Nicholas' thrown ball was aimed and caught it. Jessie looked on in horror as Cody, no longer in danger, easily caught Jessie's thrown ball.

Chef blew his whistle and said, "Jessie and Nicholas are out! Veterans, who do you want back?"

"We'll take Izzy," Cody replied.

Nicholas glared at Danny and said, "What the hell dude? We could've won this!"

Danny cast a side glance at Nicholas before saying, "While many types of tactics are acceptable, leading someone on is not, at least in my book."

Nicholas just glared at Danny as he left the court and Izzy took to the court again. Needless to say, Danny got destroyed by Izzy and Cody. (Not so much Noah, who was in the back of the court.)

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: You know, I thought that was a one-time thing. Danny made it so that I couldn't win the woodshop challenge. Once, I'm okay with. But now that he's screwed me over again, the gloves are coming off!

* * *

The stage for the final round was set. For the veterans stood Heather, Courtney, Bridgette, Cody, Izzy, and Noah. Meanwhile, the rookies had Mikey, Jennifer, Julie, Megan, Danny, and Emily. Several people were glaring at each other. Heather, for example, had her gaze set on Mikey and Julie. The tension in the air was thick as the teams waited for Chef to start the match.

When they heard the whistle, they dashed forward. Heather pushed Julie down in order to get a ball, which was promptly thrown at Danny, who dodged. Emily picked one up and used it to deflect a ball thrown by Courtney.

Cody used his static ball to hunt down Megan. She jumped off of the wall in a bid to escape being hit by the red rubber. The ball bounced off of the wall and hit the ground, where Julie picked it up and flung it at Heather, nailing her in the head.

As the queen bee hit the ground, every teen on and off the court cheered loudly. Heather grumbled angrily as she got up and shouted, "You got lucky! You hear that fatty! I'm going to make sure you get eliminated! Nobody likes you!"

Julie's eye twitched until she threw herself at Heather. Chef blew his whistle to signal that Julie crossed the line, but she clearly wasn't paying attention. The optimist was punching Heather numerous times, saying, "I've had enough of you Heather! Why don't you just go die in a hole you bitch! How did you possibly make it so far into the game?"

It took the combined efforts of Geoff, Joseph, Trent and Nicholas to separate the two teens. Heather moaned as an intern entered the court and picked up the queen bee, taking her to the infirmary.

Once Chef signaled the game could recommence, all hell broke loose. Mikey picked up a ball and threw it at Courtney, who was busy trying to knock out Danny. Courtney was eliminated as she hit Danny with a ball. The honorable teen bowed at his teammates as he departed.

Jennifer threw a ball at Izzy, which was deflected with a ball that the crazy girl held. The three remaining girls all threw balls at Izzy in an attempt to get her out, and luckily for them, they eliminated her.

Cody retaliated by throwing a curving ball that eliminated Jennifer. Mikey realized this threat and threw a ball at Cody, taking the tech geek out, but not before he threw a statically charged ball at Megan.

Bridgette threw a ball at Mikey, which hit its mark. Bridgette celebrated for a moment before she was hit by Emily. Emily stared down Noah, who realized he was the last one left on the court.

His teammates started to tell him to throw a ball at the dancer, but he knew this would be futile. Like Harold in TDI, the only way Noah could win this was if he caught a ball. Emily smirked, with a ball in each of her hands and two on the ground. She threw the two in her hands at the bookworm.

Noah panicked and dove onto the ground, causing both balls to sail over him. "Come on Noah! Don't lose this," Courtney shouted.

Emily threw the other two balls at Noah. Noah ducked under the first one, and was then pegged in the chest by the second. He fell to the ground and the rookies cheered. That is, until people looked at Noah more closely. Like Harold before him, Noah caught a ball as he was hit by it. This caused the veterans to erupt into cheering.

Chris walked in and clapped his hands before saying, "Well done Noah. I had no idea you would actually win this. Anyways, we have a bus to board and a tie to break!"

Noah, who was on the ground still, said, "What the hell does that mean?"

"In due time," Chris said before walking outside, where a bus was located. The teens boarded the bus and watched as they pulled away from the high school.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Gwen: (She is clearly angry, as her arms are crossed and she is glaring) Heather's days are numbered. All this crap she keeps putting Julie through is unwarranted and I think I speak for everyone when I say Heather has to go.

Joseph: To be honest, I like Julie. She's nice and a friendly face is always good to have in a competition like this. But keeping her around Heather isn't going to do her any good. If we lose, I think it will be for the best if Julie leaves.

* * *

The bus ride into the city was short and soon the competitors (and Chris) were on top of the largest building in the city. It was well over 25 stories tall and oddly enough, was on the outskirts of the city. Looking over the roof, some people noticed a target on the ground and others noticed Chef flying the crappy broken plane from season one.

Chris cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and said, "Well everyone, this is the tiebreaking challenge!"

"Which you have neglected to tell us yet," Nicholas responded with a roll of his eyes.

Chris stomped his foot and said, "I was getting to that! Anyways, I have here parachutes. Anyone who gets a parachute and jumps down to the ground gets their team points. The amount of points depends on where in the target you land. For extra fun, Chef is flying a plane. Try not to get hit, ha!"

Everyone murmured amongst themselves, discussing the rules. "So, who's going first," Chris asked the group of teens.

Izzy dashed forward and jumped off the edge, without putting her parachute on. "Wait Izzy! You didn't put your parachute on," Trent yelled.

Izzy cackled happily as she landed on top of Chef's plane. She slipped inside the cockpit, but then the teens lost sight of their crazy friend. Sounds of a fight could be heard coming from the plane, but nobody could see what was going on.

When they finally saw what happened, they saw Chef parachuting down to the ground. Many people had their mouths open in shock until they heard the intercom on the plane crackling.

"Attention people in the city, on the roofs of buildings, and in my imagination! This is pilot Izzy telling you we're going to have fun with this now that mean old Chef Hatchet has been thrown overboard! Woohoo," Izzy's voice said through the loudspeaker.

Chris looked over the edge, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Well, I guess that counts for the veterans. Who's going next?"

When the teens considered jumping off a building while Izzy was piloting a plane nearby, they all immediately took a step backward. Chris looked puzzled and said, "What, nobody is going to jump?"

Joseph said, "There are some things more important than winning a challenge, and living is one of them!"

"Well, I can't force you guys to jump and possibly die, no matter how good for ratings it would be. Regardless, I declare the winners of invincibility are the veterans! Rookies, think about your vote on the bus ride back because voting and elimination will occur immediately after we return to the school," Chris said as he headed back to the elevator.

The rest of the teens started to leave, except for Gwen, who yelled down, "Izzy! The challenge is over, we won!"

Through the loudspeaker, Izzy responded, "Okay! I'm gonna take this thing in for a landing!" The Goth girl smiled to herself before heading to the elevator.

* * *

On the bus ride back, several rookies were discussing a vote. Nicholas said, "I don't really know who to vote for. Part of me wants to vote for Danny, just due to how he virtually sabotaged us."

Megan nodded before saying, "Yeah I see what you mean. I don't think there's another person who we could vote for."

Mikey walked over, sighing before saying, "So did you guys reach a verdict?"

Jessie spoke up, "We were considering voting for Danny, why?"

"Joseph told me that, psychologically, Julie's not doing real well. Apparently her mental health will decline as long as she's here with Heather. I think we should vote for Julie, just out of pity," Mikey said, his head in his hands.

Jennifer, who was sitting nearby with Trent, said, "That's not a bad idea. I like Julie when she's not angry. I think we should go through with it."

"Unfortunately, yeah," Mikey said with a pained smile on his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I'm sorry for this, but it's for your best interest. I vote Julie. (He gets up and walks out, looking sad.)

Joseph: Alas, Julie was the only logical choice. I'm actually sorry, but it'll do you some good.

Nicholas: I thought about it, and I'm voting for Danny. Can't believe he cost us a win!

Emily: Nicholas asked me to vote for Danny. I can see why, though. He did cost us the win earlier and he wasn't necessarily nice about it.

* * *

Chris was standing at the podium in the auditorium. He grinned as he watched the teens sit down and proceeded to start his monologue. He said, "So rookies, looks like you couldn't beat the veterans, now could you? Well, you cast your votes and I've tallied them up. Whoever your favorite loser is will have to walk the hall of shame and catch the bus of losers. And you won't ever be able to come back ever! And the first hall passes go to Nicholas, Emily, Jessie, Jennifer, Megan, Joseph and Mikey!" The seven teens got up to claim their passes. Chris eyed the last two and said, "Well, one of you two is going home. The question is who? The final hall pass of the day goes too…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Danny."

As the honorable teen got up to collect his hall pass, Julie jumped up. "What? Why me," she asked, confused as to why she was eliminated.

"Well," Mikey said while scratching the back of his head, "After your outburst at Heather, we decided to eliminate you so you wouldn't have to put up with her crap anymore. It was more out of pity than anything."

Julie looked downtrodden but then looked up and smiled before saying, "Well, if that's why you eliminated me, then I'm okay with it. I mean, it wasn't because I screwed up or anything, so at least I'm leaving with confidence. I'll never forget this, bye!" The optimist then got up and left the room, a smile on her face.

* * *

After the elimination, Gwen was seen talking to Mikey. "So of the four of us from the first challenge, only the two of us are left," Mikey solemnly said.

Gwen nodded and said, "True, but look at it this way. We both are pretty well liked and after today, I doubt anyone is going to snap at Heather any time soon."

Mikey smiled and said, "You know what? You're absolutely right. By the way, I was meaning to ask, do you want help in finding out who arranged Leshawna's elimination?"

"Arranged? You think somebody targeted her? What makes you think that," Gwen asked.

"Think about it. It was too early for it to be just dumb luck. Somebody was behind it," Mikey replied.

Gwen's eyes widened in realization before she said, "You're right. Sure, I'd love the help."

* * *

Chris sat in the office in a large chair. He chuckled and said, "Hopefully Gwen doesn't learn the truth too soon. Joseph is fantastic for ratings! Anyways, another day, another eliminated contestant. Today it happened to be Julie. Now I leave you, faithful viewers, with these questions: Who will Joseph target next in his quest for victory? Will Gwen get any closer to learning the truth? Who will Heather direct her anger toward next? Find out the answers to all these questions, plus the most dramatic elimination yet on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Julie – 6 (Danny, Jessie, Jennifer, Mikey, Megan, Joseph)

Danny – 3 (Nicholas, Emily, Julie)

* * *

Fun Fact!

I liked Julie's character before I added her 'berserk button.' The only reason I added her extreme reaction toward Heather was so I could find a way to eliminate her. Otherwise, she would make it to the finals, and I already have that planned out. Also, a completely unrelated fact, I have made every elimination happen because of something. It was never random.

* * *

Author's Note (Again!): Phew! Another chapter is finally done! I promise the next will not take any longer. Please review and let me know what could be done better. Also feel free to read my other fics and give feedback on them. On a different note, I didn't really like this chapter too much. I'm not sure why, but it just seemed off. Except for the third challenge, I liked that. Anyways, review and such. Until next time!


	9. Chapter 8: Forest Friends and Foes

Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama. The series and it's characters belong to their creators.

* * *

The camera opens in front of the high school; however no one is in front of the camera. That is until Chris is heard grumbling, "Yeah I know we have to do the show! Why did you have to wake me up early for it?"

A second feminine voice said, "Please Chris. Look at it this way: I'm here until I get one episode done with. That was what was promised me when my contract was cancelled. So you can either get the episode done sooner or later. How long do you want me to steal your spotlight?"

Chris walked on screen, rubbing his temples as he said, "Fine, you can be co-host for a day."

Chef's gruff voice sounded from off-screen, "Hey! I thought I was your co-host!"

"Dude, let's just get today over with so she can leave," Chris said pointing off-screen.

"I heard that," the female voice said, annoyed.

Chris rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat before saying, "Last time on Total Drama High School, I put our money-hungry teens through a sports challenge. They had to play baseball, dodge ball, and even jump off of a building! During the course of the day, Heather continually pushed Julie's buttons, so much so that the usual cheery Julie tackled Heather and beat the crap out of her. Honestly, I suspected someone like Leshawna would do that. Anyways, the rookies eliminated Julie out of pity so Heather wouldn't be a total bitch to her anymore. After the elimination, Mikey met up with Gwen. The gamer told her that he would help her determine who eliminated Leshawna. On a different note, Nicholas and Jessie got together so good for them, I guess. So now, we have questions about today that my TEMPORARY co-host will tell you."

Chris stepped to the side as he put emphasis on the word temporary. A young woman, no older that Chris walked on-screen. She had blond hair and blue eyes, and it was obvious lipstick was just applied to her shiny, red lips. She was wearing a red dress with only one strap over her left shoulder. She smirked for the camera and said, "Hello viewing world! Blaineley Stacey Andrews O'Halloran here! After I was unceremoniously fired from Celebrity Manhunt, my contract stated I would have a one episode appearance in a reality show in order to help me get a new job. Obviously I picked the most popular reality show, Total Drama! Anyways, casting agencies and any Hollywood gossip reporters watching right now, make sure to watch!"

Chris rolled his eyes and said, "Blaineley, the questions."

Blaineley's eyes widened and she said, "Oh right. So, will karma bite Heather in the ass after yesterday? Is it possible that two more contestants will hook up? And will any casting agencies hire me? Find out today, on Total Drama High School!"

Chris walked over and said, "Not too bad. Next time, less shameless promoting."

"But you do it all the time," Blaineley argued, stomping her foot.

"Yes, but I'm the full time host," Chris said before walking off.

* * *

On board the bus, everybody sat near the back of the bus, with the sole exception being Heather, as nobody could stand her and they forced her near the front. However, Joseph, Noah, and Courtney sat closest to the front relative to their position. Behind them were Izzy, Emily, Cody, and Danny. Behind them were Mikey, Megan, Gwen, Nicholas, and Jessie. At the very back were Trent, Jennifer, Bridgette, and Geoff. Each group had their own mini conversations going on.

Joseph was chatting with Noah about the current state of the competition. "So as I was saying, Heather's got a huge target on her back. Everyone wants to get rid of her so we should go for her. You know, to be less suspicious," Joseph suggested to his partner.

Noah shook his head and said, "You know, I agree. I never really liked her anyways. Then again, no one ever did."

Courtney overheard part of the conversation and said, "If you want to get rid of Heather, count me in. I actually liked Julie despite never really working with her. Since Heather drastically changed her that gives me as good a reason as any to get rid of her."

Joseph looked between his partners and said, "So it's agreed, we vote for Heather no matter what."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: A good thing for any alliance is to make sure you blend in with the others. By only eliminating unpopular contestants so far, it makes the three of us seem more trustworthy. So if we help get rid of Heather, we won't be suspicious for a while.

Noah: I may think working with Joseph is risky, but that doesn't mean that he's a bad strategist.

* * *

Izzy, Emily, Cody, and Danny were discussing the previous day's results. However, while they were talking, Emily seemed to shy away from Danny, guilty because she voted for him. "So anyways, Heather needs to be eliminated," Cody said after hearing Emily and Danny's story.

Danny nodded and said, "That would be correct. However, after she is eliminated, I am unsure as to who I would vote for."

"Yeah," Emily agreed, barely audible.

Cody picked up on this and said, "Are you okay Emily? You seem kind of sad today."

Emily gulped and said, "Well, I just feel a little bad about who I voted for yesterday."

"You voted for Julie, I'm assuming," Danny asked, an eyebrow raised.

Emily shook her head and said, "No, I voted for you. I didn't really want to vote for Julie and you did get Nicholas out in the dodge ball game, so I didn't know who else to vote for."

Danny chuckled and Izzy looked up from her leg, saying, "What's so funny? Did I miss a joke?"

"No, you didn't Izzy. Don't worry about it Emily. Your reasoning was sound and so I believe it was justified. I'm not mad in any way. Besides, I'm still here, aren't I," Danny replied.

Emily brightened up and said, "Oh, well okay!"

* * *

Bus Confessional

Emily: Wow, I figured Danny would be upset being in the bottom two. I guess he didn't mind because he wasn't eliminated.

Danny: I will never get mad over being eliminated, save for the fact that someone managed to manipulate the votes and I missed it. I came here to get rid of manipulators, so if there's a secret one that gets rid of me, I will feel as if I failed to fulfill my duty.

* * *

Mikey, Megan, Gwen, Nicholas, and Jessie were discussing something important to Gwen: discovering the person who got Leshawna eliminated. "Okay," Gwen said, "the four of you are helping me, as well as Joseph. So of those not helping me, I think we can say that Cody, Bridgette, Geoff, Trent, and Jennifer were not behind it."

"Okay, I get Cody, Bridgette, Geoff, and Trent, but why Jennifer," Mikey asked.

Nicholas replied, "I think it's because of how nice she is. She doesn't seem to be the type to target someone."

"True. Of those left, anyone who has been eliminated can be ignored, and something tells me Emily isn't behind it either," Jessie added.

Gwen tapped her chin and said, "Well, Izzy was Leshawna's friend, sort of, so I don't think she did it. That leaves us with Heather, Courtney, Joseph, Noah and Danny."

"It wasn't Danny," Megan said, not looking at the rest of the group.

Gwen raised an eyebrow and said, "What? Why not him?"

Megan looked at Gwen for a moment before looking elsewhere and said, "He was on my team. I-I voted for Leshawna."

"What! Why," Gwen asked.

Megan looked up and she looked very sad. She answered, "I didn't really know her that well and Courtney-."

"Courtney! I knew it," Gwen angrily said.

A male voice said, "Hold it!" The group stopped and turned their attention to Mikey, who had just stood up. "Okay, so maybe Courtney arranged it within her team. That doesn't mean that she wasn't told to do so by somebody else. Keep in mind that Heather doesn't like Leshawna and Noah was getting fed up with her too. Either one of them could've been behind it for all we know."

Gwen took a deep breath and said, "You know what, you're right."

Megan started to sob and said, "I'm sorry I voted for her Gwen. Please forgive me." Mikey pulled the nice girl in for a hug and rubbed her back slightly.

Gwen looked guilty and then said, "Um, its okay, I guess. If you were misled and voted for her, then that's okay."

Megan stopped sobbing and said, "Really?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Gwen said, a slight smile on her face.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Megan: I really didn't mean to make Gwen upset. I was just confused on the first day.

Gwen: So we determined that there are three main leads, and they are Courtney, Heather, and Noah. At some point, we are going to have to talk to them.

* * *

In the very back of the bus sat Trent, Jennifer, Geoff, and Bridgette. They were talking about something completely unrelated to the competition: The love lives of the competitors. "So do you think Jessie and Nicholas are good for each other," Trent asked.

Bridgette thought for a moment before answering, "I don't really know. I mean, they are kind of different. Jessie's more of a smarter student, whereas Nicholas likes more mechanical stuff. They kind of remind me of Duncan and Courtney, except they were friends since the beginning."

"That's a good point. They seem happy though and that's all that matters, right Bridgette babe," Geoff asked.

"Yes, Geoff. We're happy, so that's all that matters," Bridgette said while giggling.

Jennifer thought before asking, "So I wonder who else will get together."

Trent said, "Well, Emily and Cody seem like they might get together. Who knows, it could be very soon."

Geoff cheered and said, "Yeah dude! Plus I know one of the rookie guys got a crush on one of the new girls."

Bridgette gasped and said, "No way! I know one of the rookie girls has a crush on one of the rookie guys."

"Well, looks like there's some more love in store for the contestants," Trent said while chuckling.

* * *

The bus stopped suddenly in front of a forest. Noah called out, "Did we run out of gas? Why didn't you check the gage before we left the hotel?"

"No fool! This is the site for today's challenge! Well, what you all waiting for? Go," Chef said getting all of the students off the bus. Once all of the contestants were off the bus, they saw Chris standing with Blaineley.

Many people stood there confused until Mikey said, "Who's she?"

Chris put on a forced smile and said, "This is Blaineley, veterans you may or may not remember her. Anyways, she is going to be my temporary co-host. In fact, after today you may never see her again!"

Blaineley pushed Chris to the side and said, "Today, I run the challenge! For today's challenge, you make the groups! In groups no larger than four, go into the forest and find an animal. Bring it back out here to me where I will take a picture of it. You can get as many animals as you like, but you may only save one picture. The groups with the two best pictures will win immunity. You have five minutes to get your groups and go out into the woods. You have until two o'clock to bring back an animal. I graciously ordered pizza for you all so come back around noon to have lunch. Until then, have fun!"

Many of the teens cheered when Blaineley mentioned she ordered pizza, something which Chris did not like. Once the five minute planning started, Heather walked into the woods alone. Many hoped she would have trouble with the challenge or run into a bear, it didn't matter to them.

The next group that was formed was Joseph and Noah. Right before they entered the woods, Courtney called out, "Do you guys mind if I tag along?"

Noah and Joseph looked at each other, shrugged and then Noah called out, "Sure."

Mikey and Megan teamed up instantly, with Nicholas and Jessie asking if they could tag along. The four rookies agreed and entered the woods.

Geoff and Bridgette found Cody and Emily and the four also agreed to work together.

Izzy ran off into the woods herself, and by that I mean she climbed a tree and started to jump from branch to branch.

Trent and Jennifer quickly invited Gwen into their group. They also invited Danny, but the honorable warrior refused politely, claiming that he had a plan to secure an animal.

Once all of the teens entered the woods, Chris approached Blaineley and said, "Pizza? Really?"

Blaineley smirked and said, "Of course, Chris. My hope is that if I can't get a job anywhere else, your producer will hire me and make me co-host as well. Then the contestants will love one of their co-hosts and hate the other. The producer will then fire you for spending too much money, and I will become the only host of Total Drama!"

"Why would you do this," Chris asked, scared that his money would run out.

"Isn't it obvious? Don't you remember what happened that one time in Vegas? I remember it fairly well," Blaineley replied.

Chris scowled and said, "First of all, I was drunk and you know it! Secondly, you remember what happened the day after; I seem to recall you being pretty wasted too."

Blaineley glared at Chris and said, "Whatever, go apply your hair gel or something, I've got a challenge to judge." Chris just glared back and departed, heading for the bus.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Chris: Blaineley thinks she's so great. I'll admit that's a good plan, but what Blaineley doesn't know is that I have Hollywood connections. I've got a phone call to make.

* * *

Heather walked through the woods, alone. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. She had passed a few insects and birds, but nothing that would win over someone like Blaineley. "Since it's Blaineley that's judging, I need to get something vicious, just like her. After all, she wasn't on Celebrity Manhunt for nothing," Heather said to herself as she pushed aside a leaf and found a fox den. Heather smiled evilly and said, "Perfect."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Heather: (She is covered in dirt and scratches) Blaineley told me we were using the bus confessional as the main one for today. Anyways, as soon as I found that fox den, I knew what I was going to catch. My only problem would be catching one without it killing me.

* * *

In a different part of the forest, by a river, Gwen, Trent, and Jennifer sat down, watching the water. "So," Trent said as he watched the river's flow, "What are we doing for this challenge?"

It was silent for a minute until Gwen said, "Well, there's a river. If we could get a bowl or something, we could catch a fish."

"That's…not a bad idea actually," Jennifer commented, "The only problem is where could we get a bowl?"

Trent tapped his chin in thought before stating, "Maybe Blaineley has one, or there's one on the bus."

Gwen stood up and said, "I'll go check, if you want."

"Great. I'll build some fishing rods. I just need some sticks, some vines, and some worms," Trent said while nodding.

Jennifer got up as Gwen walked back to the bus and said, "Trent, I can get some sticks and vines if you dig up some worms."

Trent smiled and said, "Sounds great."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Gwen: Do I think it's a bad idea leaving Trent and Jennifer alone? Not really. They aren't Geoff and Bridgette, and I think if they do decide to kiss, they'll do it after they get what they need to fish.

* * *

Mikey, Megan, Jessie, and Nicholas were walking along a trail through the forest. "So what would be a good idea for something to capture? It's going to be hard to impress Blaineley," Nicholas stated.

Jessie quirked an eyebrow and said, "Why would it be hard to figure out something to capture?"

Nicholas gestured around at the forest and said, "Think about it. There are only so many different types of animals that could be living here. What if everyone else finds them before us? We have to find something astounding, and quickly at that."

"So very true, but where to begin, I wonder," Mikey said, his hand resting on his chin.

The teens looked around until Megan said, "There's a cave up there. You want to go check it out?" The group of four looked at each other and shrugged, heading for the cave that was just ahead.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: (The gamer is covered in dirt, presumably from the cave) So maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to throw dirt upwards when I got upset. Oh well, I guess I know not to do that anymore.

* * *

Once the group had entered the cave, they started to look around. Mikey, who knew that there might be some animal underground, started to dig. Instead of throwing the dirt behind him and risk hitting one of his friends, the gamer threw the dirt upwards. After a few minutes, the teens began to hear some type of squeaking.

Nicholas looked up and said, "Guys, we may want to run."

Following his gaze, Megan, Jessie, and Mikey looked upward and saw what appeared to be dozens upon dozens of bats fluttering about the ceiling of the cave. "You don't think," Mikey asked, a slight tone of fear in his voice, "that they may be upset because I kept throwing dirt at them, do you?"

The others nodded and then turned around and ran as fast as their legs could take them. Mikey got up and ran as well, trying to escape the bats, which began to chase them.

As they retreated, Jessie tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. "Ow," the formerly shy girl exclaimed as she hit the ground.

Nicholas immediately turned around and yelled, "Jessie!" He then ran over and shielded her from the oncoming bats. The flock of nocturnal creatures began to fly around the two teens, who were cowering in terror.

That's when Mikey got an idea. He reached into the backpack that each team was given and took out a flashlight. He turned the device on and shone the bright light at the bats. The bats, who did not like light, flew into the deepest reaches of the cave so they could escape the light.

After Nicholas and Jessie got up off the ground, the group was about to leave when they saw some dirt being dug up. Curious, the teens waited until a mole dug out of the ground.

Mikey looked at his teammates, then at the mole and said, "Anyone else want to bring the mole? We can put him in the backpack, where it's darker, since they are not accustomed to the light."

Megan shrugged and said, "Well, it's worth a try." The team then put the mole into the backpack and headed back toward the bus, hoping the animal would be enough to grant them immunity.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jessie: It was so sweet of Nicholas to protect me from the bats. I'm glad that he and I are going out because now I can properly repay him. (She giggles and then winks.)

Nicholas: I only did what I thought was appropriate when I shielded Jessie. Besides, I think anyone would do that for their girlfriend. I don't really expect anything in return, being Jessie's boyfriend is enough.

Nicholas and Jessie: (The two are sitting in the confessional, making out.)

* * *

Izzy stood on top of a tall tree, surveying the forest floor. She saw many things, but nothing that would help her win. She shrugged and said, "I guess ninja Izzy is going to have to look elsewhere!" With that, the crazy redhead jumped from tree to tree to another part of the forest.

* * *

Gwen was returning from the bus, a large mixing bowl in her arms. She walked into the clearing where they decided to fish and stopped. The Goth first had a look of surprise on her face, then she smirked, and finally after a couple of minutes, an uneasy look.

What Gwen had seen was Trent and Jennifer, making out while leaning against a fallen log. They had been breaking to breath, but neither noticed the Goth yet. She then took notice of a pile of sticks and vines, as well as a pile of squirming worms on the ground. She sat down and started to tie a vine to the stick.

After she finished tying the makeshift fishing rod together, Trent and Jennifer stopped kissing. Trent looked over and noticed Gwen and said, "Oh Gwen! Um, how long ago did you get here?"

"I don't know, ten minutes maybe," Gwen said with a shrug.

Jennifer then said, "Oh, you were able to get a bowl."

Gwen simply nodded and said, "Yep. So are we gonna get fishing?"

Trent nodded and said, "Yeah, let me put the bait on the vines." With that Trent started to tie the vines around the worms.

* * *

Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, and Emily were all making their way through the forest, when they stopped at a berry bush. "Hmm," Cody said contemplatively, "I bet we could find some animals by this bush. They would probably eat the berries."

"That's a good idea Cody," Emily said, smiling as Geoff inched closer to the bush.

When the party animal was close to the bush, he examined it, making sure there wasn't anything nearby. "Okay guys, there's no animals near this bush, so let's find a totally killer hiding place! That way, we can easily grab an animal," Geoff said after his search ended.

Bridgette raised an eyebrow and said, "We're going to release the animal when we're done, right Geoff?"

The party animal nodded and said, "Totally Bridgette babe!"

Cody chuckled and said, "That's Geoff for you. Always willing to please Bridgette." Emily shared a laugh with her crush before the group hid in another nearby bush, waiting for an animal to eat some berries.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Chris: Okay, what's with all the love today? I think I'm going to have to change that next challenge. Anyways, I called a buddy of mine and he should be able to get Blaineley out of here. Besides, he owed me a favor, so he kinda had to.

* * *

Danny stood patiently at the base of a waterfall, the flowing water allowing the warrior to meditate. He meditated near the waterfall until he heard a shriek. His eyes bolting open, he glanced in the direction of the shriek. After weighing the possibilities, the warrior dashed off in the direction of the screaming, hoping that he would be able to help whoever was in trouble.

* * *

Noah, Joseph, and Courtney turned around suddenly when they heard the far-off shrieking in the distance. However, they were too far from the origin of the shriek to be of any help, so they continued onward, heading deeper into the thick underbrush of the forest. They proceeded until they found themselves at the rocky face of a cliff.

Joseph looked at the steep rock wall and said, "Well, I guess we aren't going anywhere farther."

Noah nodded and said, "So very true. But what do you propose we do? It's not like an animal will just show up if we stand here."

"That may be true, but there may be a type of lizard among the rocks down here," Courtney said matter-of-factly.

"I suppose it's worth a shot. Let's have a look," Joseph said as the three looked round the rock wall and the rocks on the ground nearby.

Their search came up almost empty until Courtney said, "I found something!" The two male members of the alliance approached Courtney and saw that she had a small lizard with her.

"I don't know why there's a lizard in the middle of Canada," Noah said, an eyebrow raised, "But I do know that it might help us win. Let's go." The three then headed back through the forest toward the starting point, the lizard sitting on Courtney's head.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Courtney: (The lizard is still sitting on her head) I think this thing likes me. I wonder if Duncan would like another pet.

* * *

Danny emerged from a bush and saw the person who had screamed was Heather. She sneered and said, "What do you want?"

"I heard screaming and thought it was someone worth helping. My mistake," Danny said with a roll of his eyes. He stood there for a few seconds before saying, "Why did you scream anyways?"

"I'm trying to catch a fox. Stupid trap closed on my foot. It hurt like hell," Heather said, kicking the side of the trap, causing it to close. She grumbled and began to fix the trap as Danny walked away chuckling.

As he walked he saw a duck sitting in a small puddle. The warrior pulled a piece of bread out from his backpack and said, "Hey duck, you want some bread?" The duck quacked and jumped into Danny's arms, happily eating the bread. As the teen walked off with the duck, a second duck walked out of a bush and quacked in confusion.

* * *

Trent, Gwen, and Jennifer had a tough time trying to find a fish. So far the only ones they found were tiny little baby fish, and so they were thrown back, as they were deemed unworthy. After a few minutes without any sign of a fish, Trent began to tug on his line.

"Man, this fish seems like a big one," Trent mumbled as he struggled to pull the fish out of the water. Jennifer went over to help him and they succeed, pulling a seven inch trout out of the water.

Gwen looked at the fish and said, "Want to bring that to Blaineley and call it a day?"

Jennifer nodded and said, "Yeah, fishing's boring."

"That sounds like a plan," Trent agreed as well. The three headed back toward the bus, the fish in the large bowl.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jennifer: To be honest, I hate fishing. It's so boring and it takes forever. I just hope this one fish will be enough for immunity.

* * *

Mikey, Megan, Nicholas, and Jessie arrived back at the bus to see Blaineley reading a gossip magazine. "Um, Blaineley," Mikey called out, "We have an animal."

Blaineley looked up from her magazine and noticed the four teens. "Oh, so you do. Well, let me just get a picture," Blaineley said as she took a picture, which the four teens then signed. Blaineley looked impressed and said, "Where did you find a mole?"

"There's a cave a ways back. Found it there," Nicholas said with a shrug.

Jessie turned around and said, "Okay, well we're going to go back and see if we can find something else."

Chris jumped out of the bus and shouted "Not So Fast!" The four teens and Blaineley looked at Chris and he said, "Since I'm full time host for all challenges besides this one, I say that there should be a new rule! The rule is that once you come here, you can't go back into the forest!"

"I thought we had an agreement Chris. I was going to run the challenge," Blaineley said, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Would you like to take that up with Chef? Chef, if you wouldn't mind," Chris said as Chef Hatchet exited the bus and bent a spoon with his brute strength.

Blaineley sweat dropped and said, "Okay, sorry guys but you can't go back."

"This is total bull," Megan muttered as the group of four sat down.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: Is Chris always an asshole? And seriously, he doesn't rule the universe, so he should stop acting like he does.

* * *

Geoff and Bridgette were making out as Cody and Emily watched the berry bush. "Man, I can't believe we've been sitting here for over two hours and nothing," Cody whispered.

Emily shrugged her slender shoulders and said, "Well, at least we got to pick who to be with. Imagine how it would feel if you were out here alone with Heather."

Cody looked horrified and said, "I think I would want to kill myself."

The group was silent for a couple minutes until Cody heard heavy breathing. "That's not you, right Emily," the tech geek whispered.

The dancer shook her head and said, "Nope."

Cody turned to Geoff and Bridgette, who were no longer making out, and said, "Is that either of you?"

The couple shook their heads. Cody turned around and saw a large brown bear, just like the one that mauled him on season one. He screamed but resisted the urge to pee his pants, since a girl he liked was nearby.

The other three teens screamed as well as they got up. The four teens ran toward the bus, away from the bear. Naturally, the bear gave chase, as normal forest life was too boring for him.

* * *

Izzy was in a tree nearby the bush that Cody, Emily, Geoff, and Bridgette were watching. She saw the four teens run from the bear and she called out, "Cool! A chase scene! Ninja Izzy's gonna have to see how this ends!" The psychotic redhead then started to jump from tree branch to tree branch, watching the chase in progress.

* * *

Back by the bus, Gwen, Trent, Jennifer, and Danny had arrived back and heard that they would be unable to return to the forest. As the eight present teens talked, Noah, Courtney, and Joseph arrived.

Gwen laughed and said, "Nice hat Courtney!"

Courtney scowled and said, "Hey! This lizard might win us immunity so I'd watch what you say Gwen."

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Courtney, you've got a lizard on your head. Somebody was bound to make fun of you for it."

"Just let it be Noah," Joseph said, his hand on the know-it-all's shoulder.

Blaineley took the picture and then told them that they could not return to the forest, at which Noah said, "Typical Chris. He hates us."

The gathered teens then heard four screams. Many of the contestants wondered what could cause four screams and then they decided they didn't want to know.

* * *

Heather found some berries in a bush and picked them, placing them in the trap she found. She laid the trap near the fox den and waited for the trap to activate. When she saw a fox in the cage, she smiled maliciously. Now she just needed to make it back to the bus in time.

* * *

Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, and Emily were still being chased by the bear. They kept running and eventually made it back to the bus, where everyone looked at the winded teens with confused looks.

A moment later the bear exited from the bush and roared. Many teens screamed and a few ran onto the bus to hide.

The bear walked closer to the four teens that disturbed it until something landed on his back.

The creature that landed on his back said, "Grr. Growl Rawr Grrr Roar Growl." The bear sighed and sat down on the ground and everyone saw who had talked to the bear.

Noah was the first to respond and he said, "Izzy? That was you?"

Izzy nodded many times and said, "Yep! Good thing I took that Bear communications class during night school or else we would be in trouble!"

"Um, right. Look, the five of you need a picture so stand by the bear and we can take the picture," Blaineley said, slightly shocked over the events that had transpired.

The five teens and the bear got their picture taken and then Izzy gave the bear a few slices of pizza. When asked why she did that, Izzy replied, "That was to make sure the bear would leave us alone." Nobody questioned her.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Cody: Man, running from a bear is much scarier than being mauled by one. On the plus side, it's a lot less painful.

Emily: Wow, now I know how Cody felt when he got mauled by that bear. I was so scared; I saw my life flash before my eyes.

* * *

After another hour of waiting, it was getting close to two. All of the teens were anxiously waiting, hoping Heather would not be back within the next seven minutes, forty-two seconds. As the minutes ticked by, the hopes of the teens got higher.

Right before the challenge ended, however, nearby bushes rustled. The teens looked over and were saddened when Heather stepped out of the bushes.

"And the challenge is over," Blaineley called as her watch read Two o' clock.

Heather brought the fox over to Blaineley and said, "This is a pretty good find, don't you think?"

Blaineley smiled and said, "It is a good find, I will admit. Probably the second best I've seen all day. Okay, give me a minute to determine the winners."

After two minutes passed, Blaineley exited the bus, Chris in tow. She cleared her throat and said, "Okay, the first group to win immunity is the group of Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, and Emily. Sorry Izzy, but since those four were the first ones to encounter the bear, they got immunity. If you're mad, blame Chris. Anyways, the second group to win immunity is Mikey, Megan, Nicholas, and Jessie for bringing a mole in broad daylight."

Heather gnashed her teeth together and she cried out, "What? I thought you said my fox was second best!"

Blaineley smirked maliciously and said, "It was the second nicest thing I saw. However, the rules stated the best two pictures would win. No picture, no immunity."

Chris stepped forward and said, "Okay, so that means Izzy, Danny, Heather, Trent, Gwen, Jennifer, Noah, Courtney, and Joseph are not immune. Figure out who you're going to vote for before we get back because voting will be as soon as we get to the school. Thanks for your time Blaineley, but I got a call saying you have a job interview for some Hollywood Gossip show in America. I booked you a flight and got a taxi."

Blaineley had tears in her eyes and said, "You did that for me Chris? I'm surprised I'm saying this, but thanks. I forgive you for what happened that time."

Chris smirked and said, "It was nice, kinda, to see you again. If you need something, you know where to find me."

Blaineley got into a taxi that pulled up next to the bus and it drove off. Once the taxi was out of sight, Chris sighed and said, "Finally, I thought I would never get her out of my hair. Okay, we leave in five minutes."

Once Chris got back onto the bus, everyone grinned evilly at Heather. She looked nervous until she realized something.

"Are you sure you want to eliminate me? You should eliminate Joseph. Not only is he smart, but he's as vicious as me, if not more so. He's going to play you guys like an instrument," Heather said, pointing at Joseph.

Joseph looked hurt on the outside, but he was grinning on the inside. Everyone looked disgusted and Gwen said, "Yeah, I'll believe you when pigs fly. You can't just accuse a nice guy like Joseph, even if he does hang out with Courtney." Courtney glared at Gwen for a moment at this remark. Many teens shook their heads and got on the bus, a glaring Heather last on the bus.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: Well, it looks like Heather figured me out. But everything went according to plan. Nobody was going to believe Heather anyways, so she's gone.

Gwen: Good riddance. It's about time Heather left.

Heather: I might be screwed, but if I'm lucky, Gwen will be going home.

* * *

The non-immune teens were sitting in the auditorium of the high school and Chris was standing at the podium. "Well, that was a relaxing day for me. Anyways, you all know the deal. You get a hall pass, you stay. You don't get one and you walk the hall of shame, catch the bus of losers, and never come back ever! Everyone but Gwen and Heather, come get a hall pass."

The seven now-immune teens got their hall passes. Chris sighed and said, "Gwen and Heather. Heather and Gwen. A rivalry as old as Total Drama. One of you will be leaving now. Heather..."

Heather stood up and said, "Ha! Take that Wierd Goth Girl!"

Chris looked annoyed and said, "You didn't let me finish! Heather, you have lost. Gwen gets the final pass." Gwen got up and walked passed Heather, smirking.

Heather stood there for a moment, fuming. She finally said, "Fine. You know what? I couldn't care less! I want to get away from you losers!"

Heather then stomped away. As the other teens began to leave, Chris said, "Well another day, another eliminated. Heather was walked the hall of shame and now we are down to 16. How will I surprise the teens next time? Will another couple hook up? Will I get to host an episode by myself? Find out the answers to all these questions as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Heather - 8 (Gwen, Joseph, Noah, Izzy, Trent, Jennifer, Danny, Courtney)

Gwen - 1 (Heather)

* * *

Fun Fact!

Heather was always meant to be a minor antagonist. I had to keep her around for the first third. Now that she's gone, the true antagonist will rise. Anyways, Heather's not out of the woods yet. There's still the Aftermath.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, true to my hopes, I got another chapter done in two weeks. I'm sorry that this chapter is the shortest one (not counting the Aftermath), but I made up the challenge off the top of my head. This is different than most because I already have most of the challenges planned out. I didn't really like this one, but I liked it better than the last one. Anyways, the Aftermath will be next but first I'm going to update my other fics. Please review, and read my other fics, if you wouldn't mind. So, until next time!


	10. Aftermath 2: Eva More Interviews

Disclaimer: Me? Own Total Drama? Only in my dreams!

* * *

When the camera opens we see the large waiting room last seen at the beginning of the first aftermath. Inside the room we see Duncan, Owen, Justin, Harold, Tyler, Lindsay, Beth, Katie, Sadie, and Eva. Also in the room are the first four eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, and Rebecca. Owen was standing at a large table with all kinds of food on it. Next to him was DJ, who was also grabbing a bite to eat, but unlike Owen, it was DJ's first trip to the table.

"So Owen," DJ started to say, "is being an intern fun? Or is it just boring?"

Owen laughed and said, "It's so totally fun! I mean, I get to see my friends and not be eliminated ever. Although Chris hasn't had us do anything recently. The last thing I did was help announce the baseball game with Duncan."

DJ shrugged and said, "Well, from the looks of it, it seems fairly easy."

Duncan, who was listening to the conversation, snorted and said, "Yeah, it's been easy so far, but Chris showed me the schedule of upcoming challenges. We've got a lot of work in the coming challenges."

Owen shrugged and said, "So? Our friends are competing, so it's awesome!"

"Whatever you say Owen, whatever you say," Duncan said.

Elsewhere, Harold was trying to win over Leshawna. The African-Canadian girl was sitting on a couch, relaxing with Harold, Lindsay, and Tyler.

Harold tried to appeal to Leshawna again, saying, "But my fair Leshawna, why won't you go out with me?"

"Harold, you just ain't my type string bean. And besides, we're friends aren't we," Leshawna responded.

"I suppose," Harold sadly replied.

Tyler commented, "Why don't you try going out with him Leshawna. It can be a friendly type of date, and who knows, you might find out you are right for each other after all, despite being different."

Harold perked up and nodded, saying, "That's true. Who knows, our personalities can be like a magnet, in which the opposite polarities attract each other."

Lindsay had her eyebrows knit in thought before she replied, "Wait, I'm confused."

"Don't worry about it Lindsay. I didn't really understand it that much either," Tyler replied as he scratched the back of his head.

Eva, who was watching the whole thing, muttered, "Dorks."

Alexander, who was sitting down near the easily-angered girl raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, still bitter about being in only one season? Trust me, it's much better to be here, relaxing and such."

Eva turned and scowled at the lazy teen before she said, "You think so? Well I know of something better than staying at a resort."

"And what would that be," Alexander asked, oblivious to Eva's rising temper.

Eva bellowed, "WINNING HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!" Alexander fell backwards out of his chair due to the sheer force of Eva's rage.

Beth, who was talking to Justin, said, "Oh no! Eva's going crazy again! Justin, stop her!"

Justin sighed and removed his shirt and immediately all the girls (and Owen) started to stare at the model. This continued for a few seconds, during which time Tyler tried to snap Lindsay out of her trance. After about fifteen seconds, Justin put his shirt back on and the girls stopped staring at Justin (A turkey leg had to be passed under Owen's nose in order to get him to snap out of it.).

Katie, who was near Justin said, "So Justin, like why does that always happen whenever you take your shirt off?"

Sadie, who was next to her best friend, added, "Yeah, how come it never happens when we look at your face?"

Running a hand through his hair, Justin smiled and said, "Well, it has something to do with hormones, or so Harold tells me. When you fine ladies see my perfect chest, you become entranced by it and as a result become fixated on me. There's some science behind it, but I don't need to know it."

"That makes sense," Beth said before realization hit her, "Wait a second, where's Rebecca?"

After she posed the question, the door that led to the stage entered and a splashing sound was heard. The teens looked over to see a bucket on the head of an intern wearing a now soaked navy blue t-shirt and black jeans. The intern grumbled, "Okay, where is she?" His response was the sound of the grate to the air ducts closing.

The intern took off the bucket and shook his head, trying to get water out of his hair. Harold looked up and said, "Are you okay Carl?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Look, be on the stage in two minutes and tell Rebecca that I would like a word with her after the show. And make sure you are on stage at the proper time Tyler and Lindsay." The intern then walked out, trying to wring the water out of his hair in the process.

* * *

The stage is shown and nothing has changed in the setup since the previous aftermath. There are still close to forty chairs on each side of a long couch. Mounted on the wall above the couch was the flat screen TV which still said TDHS Aftermath. As the various members of the peanut gallery walk out, they take their seats on the left side of the couch. Justin, Katie, Sadie, Beth, Leshawna, and Alexander sit down in the front row. Behind them are Duncan, Owen, Tyler, Lindsay, DJ, and Rebecca, who crawled out of the air duct after Carl had left the lounge.

The cheering audience was quieted by the announcer who said, "Welcome to yet another installment of the Total Drama High School Aftermath! Please put your hands together for the hosts today, Harold and Eva!"

It was quiet for a moment before Eva yelled, "Get out there dweeb!"

A shout of surprise is heard and Harold is then seen flying onto the end of the couch. Eva walks onto the stage and said, "Ha! Told you I could do it Carl! You owe my five bucks now!"

A shout of "damn it" follows Eva's slight boasting.

She then sits down on the couch and said in a forced voice, "Welcome to the second aftermath show. There are four guests with us, or rather three guests and an annoyance."

Harold spoke up, "But before we get to them, let's recap what happened since the last aftermath. There were challenges based on math, chemistry, physical education, and biology. I'm not quite sure what the last challenge actually had to do with biology, but whatever. Anyways, Nicholas and Jessie officially hooked up, while it seems like Cody and Emily are growing closer. It also seemed like Mikey and Megan have a strong bond, as shown during the chemistry challenge when he didn't want her to be in his group in fear that he would simply bring her down. For the rivalries that Total Drama is known for, Courtney joined Noah and Joseph's alliance. Not the best move if you ask me."

Duncan shouted out, "You're damn right about that, McGrady!"

Harold blinked before saying, "Gosh, try not to interrupt me so much! Anyways, Danny once again pissed off Nicholas, so I would watch my back if I were Danny. That pretty much covers the last four challenges."

"Yeah, so the first guest is a rookie, was a decent guy who turned into a douche, then back to a decent guy, and he kissed Gwen. Please welcome William, or not, I really don't care," Eva said.

It was quiet until a cry of "Banzai!" was heard. Many looked around for the crazy guy until he was seen dropping from the ceiling. He landed with one knee on the ground and his other leg bent. He looked up at the crowd and they immediately started to cheer wildly. He stood up and walked over to the couch and sat down next to Harold, seeing as sitting next to Eva would be a rather stupid idea.

The dweeb shook hands with William and said, "Hey William, how's it going?"

"Not too bad Harold, not too bad," was the crazy guy's reply.

Eva smirked and asked, "So you got voted off fifth. Not only that but it had to do with your douche behavior during the challenge and kissing Gwen. Care to explain?"

William shrugged and replied, "Well, as I've said before, I was trying to last as long as I could in the game. Unfortunately, I went too far and was in the position to get eliminated. On top of that, Joseph's vicious lie about Gwen liking me ruined even more of my chances at winning. People probably don't look too kindly at me now, but once Joseph gets exposed for the lying bastard he is, I'm sure to become more popular."

"Now about your change in attitude, it was caused by Rebecca's gift, correct? What does that sword mean," Harold asked inquisitively.

"Well, if you all remember, Rebecca gave me the sword when she was eliminated. I told her I would go as far as I could and the sword was a physical representation of that promise. Speaking of which," William said as he pulled the sword off of his back.

He got up and walked over to Rebecca, holding the sword up. As he handed the sword back to the anime nerd, he said, "I told you I would give the sword back to you and here it is, safe and sound."

Rebecca nodded and said, "Thanks. I knew you would give it back."

She grabbed the sword and the announcer associated with the sword said, "Rebecca earned the Power of Love!"

William whipped his head around and said, "Seriously, who is doing that?"

"Hey! We have an interview going on here," Eva barked at the crazy guy.

William raised an eyebrow and said, "Well? Are there any other questions you want to ask me?"

"No," Harold said while giving Eva a disapproving look.

"Well all right then," William said as he took a seat behind Rebecca.

Harold directed his attention toward the camera and said, "Now for our next guest. He's home schooled, was voted out first in TDI, and got freaked out by Izzy, its Ezekiel!"

As the home schooled teen walked on stage, the first thing he noticed was the boos from the female members of the audience. The second thing he noticed was the evil look Eva was giving him. As he timidly sat down next to Harold, the nerdy teen asked, "So Ezekiel, how did it feel not being eliminated first?"

Ezekiel tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously and said, "Um, it was ookay, I guess."

"Yeah? Are you still the same sexist redneck twerp you were before," Eva harshly asked.

Ezekiel pulled his toque over his eyes and said, "N-n-n-no. I've learned better, eh. P-p-please doon't hurt me Eva."

Eva cracked her knuckles and said, "Oh yeah? What have you learned homeschool?"

"I've learned t-that there's plenty of g-girls that are s-s-stronger than me, eh," Ezekiel timidly replied.

"Good," Eva replied.

Harold clapped Ezekiel on the back and said, "So what was your favorite part about the season Zeke?"

Ezekiel scratched his head underneath his toque and said, "Oh wow, I don't really know. I liked the fact that Courtney forgave me, but I never really had fun in the challenges. I seemed to be a bad luck magnet."

Eva snorted and said, "You think? We have a short video to show of how much bad luck you had. Roll the stupid video!"

* * *

The video opens with the veteran girls glaring at Ezekiel as he steps off the bus. It then shows him getting his question wrong in the quiz show. Next Ezekiel is shown to slip on the water during the second challenge, followed by being caught in the crossfire during the laser tag challenge. His embarrassed look during the woodshop challenge is shown, which is followed by his freak-out during the chemistry challenge. Finally, he is shown at all six of the elimination ceremonies prior to his elimination and finally his elimination.

* * *

"See? Clearly you're a bad luck magnet. Now get in the stands before a throw you there," Eva threatened. Ezekiel was in a seat next to William in approximately 2.4 seconds. Eva smirked and said, "That was satisfying. Now our next guest is another rookie, beat the crap out of Heather, and has a cheery personality I find annoying. Please welcome Julie or whatever."

Julie happily walked onstage and sat down next to Eva. She looked at Eva and said, "You know Eva, you should try being nicer. It will easily get you farther in the game."

"Right. Now, why do you hate Heather? I mean, besides the obvious," Eva asked.

Julie frowned and said, "Well, it all has to do with this one girl at my school, Leslie. She's just like Heather: a vicious popular girl who uses the power of gossip to control the school. Last year, she spread a lie that I was in poverty and was only acting friendly in order to gain people's trust so I could steal their things. After that, less people have been accepting of me. My true friends all know that was just a lie, but it still hurt."

Harold tapped his glasses and said, "So you dislike all queen bee types because of something that happened to you because of a queen bee?"

Julie nodded and said, "That's right."

"You need muscle, that way you can beat up any queen bee that gets on your nerves," Eva said in a humorous tone.

Harold looked at Eva oddly and said, "Don't tell her what she should do Eva. Anyways, how did you mesh with the other contestants? And were there any guys you had your eye on?"

Julie blushed slightly and said, "Um, no, there weren't any guys I had my eye on. I have a boyfriend back home actually. He helped expose Leslie's lie and helped some of the other students warm up to me again. As for the others, aside from Heather I felt like they were nice people."

Eva raised an eyebrow and said, "Even Joseph?"

Julie raised an eyebrow in return and said, "Um, yeah? Why do you ask?"

"You mean you don't know? Joseph's a bad guy! I mean, Gosh! He got my luscious Leshawna eliminated," Harold said, surprised.

"What? But Joseph was so nice," Julie defended.

Eva yelled up to the control room, "Hey! Get a clip of Joseph being evil played!" A few seconds later, the screen showed a few scenes with Joseph.

* * *

The first clip shown is Joseph manipulating Courtney to vote off Leshawna. After that is Joseph talking to people in order to eliminate DJ. Following this is Joseph's plotting to get rid of William. Finally, his role in Ezekiel's, Julie's, and Heather's eliminations are shown.

* * *

When the clips ended, Julie looked shocked. "Wow, I can't believe Joseph is evil. He's a ridiculously good actor," Julie said.

Harold nodded and said, "Indeed. Well, if you don't mind, it's time for the final guest." Julie nodded and headed up to the top row and sat next to Ezekiel. Harold cleared his throat and said, "Our final guest was the main antagonist of TDI, had her hair shaved off, and was pretty nasty this season, it's Heather!"

The queen bee walked on stage and was immediately booed by the audience and peanut gallery. She turned her nose up and sat down on the couch. Harold looked and Heather and asked, "So you made it a third of the way through the game. How do you feel about that?"

"How do I feel? I feel like I should be in the finals instead of any combination of those losers," Heather angrily replied.

Eva looked angrily at Heather and said, "Oh yeah? I felt like I would make it to the merge in TDI if you didn't cheat me!"

Heather glared at Eva and said, "Really? I don't think that would allow you to make it into another season. They base things off of popularity, and let's face it, you aren't popular. It probably has something to do with that ugly mole on your face."

"THAT'S IT," Eva bellowed as she picked up a chair.

Justin, thinking quickly, jumped up and ripped his shirt off, causing Eva to drop the chair and the fangirls in the crowd to scream uncontrollably. When Eva appeared to have calmed down, Justin put his shirt back on, making things return to normal.

Eva looked at Harold and said, "We don't have to interview the queen bitch, do we? I doubt anyone really cares and I want to get the show done already."

"I suppose," Harold said before turning to the peanut gallery and asking, "So any thoughts on the recent turn of events?"

Duncan was the first one to respond, saying, "Courtney better know what she's doing!"

"Yeah, but seeing as how Joseph got the upper hand on all of us, she had better be careful," Rebecca countered.

William agreed, adding his thoughts, "If Joseph can get the upper hand on me when I'm extremely focused, then Courtney needs to be one step ahead of him."

Leshawna frowned at Duncan and said, "Personally, I hope nobody in that alliance makes it much farther. They're trying to ruin Gwen's and Bridgette's chances at winning!"

Heather rolled her eyes and said, "Figures you would stand up for Weird Goth Girl."

"Figures you would say that," Leshawna said. The two glared at each other for a moment before looking away, crossing their arms.

DJ shrugged and said, "I don't really know what to think. I guess if any of my friends win, that's fine."

"Oh really? Well, I suppose as long as one of those not in the alliance wins, that's fine. I just hope no fun challenges are coming up," Alexander commented.

Tyler said, "I dunno. The more I see of that Mikey kid, the more I think we will be friends."

"I think I might be friends with some of those new girls too," Lindsay exclaimed.

Katie giggled and said, "I hope Noah gets out of that alliance soon. He doesn't need to be in it."

"Oh yeah, it would be cool if he won, or Cody. They're both great people," Sadie added.

Beth raised an eyebrow and said, "Noah's a great person? From what I knew, he was a lazy sarcastic jerk."

Owen laughed and pointed to Alexander before saying, "That's what Eva thought about Alexander!"

Justin smiled and said, "Well, to clarify on what I said before, the remaining rookie girls are beautiful. I'm not interested in dating one of them, but a really beautiful person needs to win this time!"

Eva glared and yelled, "Okay, enough of you!"

Harold nodded and said, "Actually, that's true. We finally have a short segment of That's Going to Leave a Mark!"

* * *

Clip 1: Heather is shown trying to capture the fox. It scratches her and then bites her ear.

Clip 2: The short fight between William and Trent is shown in slow motion. A smacking sound is heard when William is hit in the crotch.

Clip 3: All the carnage that was the dodgeball games is shown.

Clip 4: Ezekiel running by, blowing up the chemistry experiments is shown, again.

* * *

Harold nodded and said, "Those were some pretty cool clips."

Eva grunted and said, "For once, I agree with you. Anyways, the show's over! Go home!"

Harold interrupted, "But don't forget to tune in next time, where there will be more challenges, more romance, and more drama! Next time on Total Drama High School! And don't forget to watch the next aftermath, where Katie and Sadie will host! Good night!" As Eva stomped offstage, the other contestants left the peanut gallery and the crowd filed out of the audience.

* * *

Another chapter is done! There won't be an update for a few weeks because I have a crap-ton of projects to do for school. Only two more weeks! Anyways, starting next Aftermath, I will be accepting reader questions. They can be for any character, competing or not. Anyways, please review, read my other fics, and thanks for reading. Until next time!


	11. Chapter 9: Dramatic Drama Class

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, just like every other writer of the Total Drama Fandom.

* * *

Once again, everyone's favorite (or most hated, depending on who you are) host, Chris McLean is standing in front of the high school. He smiled for the camera and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! We went to a forest where the students had to find an animal for Blaineley." He says the last part with a slight bit of contempt in his voice. "Anyways, we saw some minor drama, and some hilarious moments, like when a bear chased Geoff, Bridgette, Cody and Emily! Ha! Anyways, due to a technicality, Heather was denied immunity and was sent packing by everyone! How she managed to make it that far is a mystery to me," Chris said while scratching his head. The camera changes to show him on a stage and in a costume. He looked at the camera and said, "Now sixteen remain! Who will get stage fright and who will succeed opening night? Who will be eliminated now that Heather is gone? Will any of these kids have any acting talent? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

It was another morning on the Total Drama bus. Since Heather's elimination, the contestants were much happier. Joseph's alliance however, was currently plotting their next move. Joseph looked out the back of the bus at the upcoming storm clouds and stated, "It appears a storm is on the horizon."

He continued to mull over the current state of affairs until Noah said, "Did you bring us here just to tell us a storm is coming? Or is there something you actually wanted to discuss?"

"Noah, sarcastic as ever I see. Yes, there is something that needs to be discussed. It is a matter of who will be eliminated next. You see, with Heather gone, there is no real scapegoat left. We must be very methodical to avoid suspicion," Joseph commented.

"Because sitting in the back of the bus with nobody around isn't suspicious," Noah dryly commented.

Joseph shrugged it off and said, "As far as anyone knows, we are just friends here."

"Still, I wonder if anyone is on to us," Noah replied.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Noah, stop worrying. Now I thought of a plan to get rid of Gwen."

Joseph raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh really? Let's hear it."

"Well first, we eliminate one or two of Gwen's friends, like Trent or Mikey. Then, when she is weak, we strike her down," Courtney stated calmly, like a politician.

Joseph looked out the window for a moment before turning back to Courtney, a grim smile on his face. He said, "Let's take her down."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: I'll humor Courtney. I will assist her in getting rid of Gwen, but when the time comes, Courtney will no longer be needed and she will be disposed of.

Noah: You know, it's ironic that I'm wondering if anyone is catching on to our alliance when I myself know not to trust Joseph.

* * *

Near the front of the bus, Gwen was sitting with her friends smiling. "Now that Heather's gone, I feel as if most of the hate towards me is gone. The only thing that needs to be done before I can feel safe in the competition is to get rid of Courtney," Gwen said while frowning during the last part.

Bridgette frowned slightly in response and said, "I don't think Courtney's that bad a person. She just doesn't like you because you talk to Duncan."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Mikey interjected, "but that sounds like she controls Duncan."

"Sadly dude, that's the truth, kind of," Geoff commented.

"Back to the point, when the time comes, you need to take a side Bridgette, either me or Courtney. I won't hold it against you, but you have to pick a side," Gwen said, a hand resting on her friend's shoulder.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Bridgette: I have a bad feeling that the conflict between Gwen and Courtney is going to escalate. And when Gwen said I have to pick a side, I don't really know what I'm going to do.

* * *

Elsewhere on the bus, Cody, Emily, Nicholas, Jessie, Trent, and Jennifer were sitting near each other talking. After talking for a while, Trent observed something and asked, "So Cody, when are you and Emily going to get together?"

"I don't really- wait, what," Cody asked as he did a double take.

Nicholas chuckled and said, "Don't you get it dude? We all see you're totally into her and she's stated that she's into you, so when will you two get together?"

Cody and Emily both blushed in embarrassment until Cody says, "Um, this is kind of awkward how this is happening, but would you like to go out with me Emily?"

"Oh my god of course Cody! I was hoping you would ask me," Emily enthusiastically said as she gave Cody a tight hug.

"Aw congrats you two," Jessie said as she snuggled up to Nicholas.

Trent counted on his fingers before he chuckled, "Well that's a coincidence."

"What is," Jennifer asked as she looked at her boyfriend.

"There are nine couples within all the Total Drama contestants. The ninth one just so happened to form on the day of the ninth challenge of a season," Trent replied.

Cody counted on his fingers as well and then confusedly asked, "Nine?"

Trent nodded and said, "Yeah. There's Duncan and Courtney, Tyler and Lindsay, Bridgette and Geoff, Izzy and Owen, Gwen and myself, myself and Jennifer, Nicholas and Jessie, you and Emily, and Beth and her boyfriend Brady. Remember the finale of Total Drama Action?"

"Now that you mention that, not really. I think I was congratulating Duncan on winning when he showed up," Cody said with a shrug.

Jennifer realized something and asked, "Trent, are you getting obsessed with the number nine again? I won't break up with you about it but it would get annoying after a while."

"No, I realized I went overboard with it on TDA. It will probably just be today because it's the ninth challenge and all," Trent replied.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Trent: I realized where I went wrong with Gwen and I plan on fixing that. I know the nine thing annoyed Gwen and I'm not going to dwell on it much.

Emily: (She giggles) I'm happy Cody asked me to go out with him. Now I need to be ready in case one of his other super fans tries to get revenge at me for going out with Cody. I know of one, Sierra, who already met Cody when they were at the Gemmies. You know, I'm surprised that Sierra hasn't gotten to Cody yet this season, seeing as how she's supposed to be this super stalker.

Duncan: (He has a few scratches and a bruise on his cheek) Damn, that Sierra girl can fight. I can't believe Chris decided to give the interns a day off today, leaving me to watch out for Sierra. At least she went easy on me because I was on Total Drama.

* * *

The bus arrived at the school soon afterwards without much incident. As the students exited the bus, Chef was mumbling to himself. The group of contestants walked toward the entrance, they saw a person lying face-down on the ground, some rags covering their body and head. "What do we do," Joseph asked.

Jessie replied, "I don't know."

Cody nervously said, "Someone go touch it."

Danny went and lightly kicked the figure in the side. The figure said in a slight British accent, "Please sir. The police are after me. I didn't mean to steal that loaf of bread, I was just hungry."

Noah scoffed and said, "I can't believe this." He raised his voice and said, "There are no open air markets anymore. They died along with wearing rags a long time ago."

The figure crossed its arms and said, "Noah, you are no fun."

The contestants (minus Danny, Noah, and Joseph) said in a surprised tone, "Chris?" The host got up, and removed the rag covering his clothes before turning around. He smiled and said, "The one and only! Now, you just got your first taste of today's challenge. Anyone want to take a guess?"

Jennifer happily squealed and said, "Are we going to be performing in plays?"

"Right you are! For today's challenge, you will be placed into groups of four. Each group must come up with a short play, between five and ten minutes long. The interns will be around to help you with anything be it costumes or props. Chef and I will pick one winner each and the losers will be sent to elimination, where one of you will be out of here! So, without further ado, team one will be Jennifer, Danny, Bridgette, and Cody! Team two will be Trent, Courtney, Joseph, and Megan!" Team three will be Noah, Nicholas, Izzy, and Emily! This means team four will be Mikey, Geoff, Gwen, and Jessie! You have until three in the afternoon to finish your plays, at which time we will watch your performances. However, with the exception of Jennifer, Noah, and maybe Courtney, I'm not expecting much."

Many of the teens looked annoyed at Chris' comment, but nobody argued with him. The groups then split up to help plan out their short plays.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: I will admit that I have a certain talent for the stage. But does Chris honestly think I can pull off a win when I have Izzy on my team? Did he forget the acting challenge of TDA?

* * *

Team One (Jennifer, Danny, Bridgette, Cody)

Jennifer, Danny, Bridgette, and Cody were sitting on a couch in the library, discussing ideas for what they could do. Jennifer suggested, "Well, given what I know from my Theatre performances, a little romance is always a good thing. I haven't quite worked out the details, but Bridgette, I think you and Cody should kiss."

Bridgette looked shocked and said, "Wait, what? But what about Geoff and Emily?"

"A typical stage technique is that you need to think you aren't Bridgette and Cody, but instead Juliet and Romeo, or whoever the characters you are playing are. Your characters can be madly in love, but the actors are not. Does that make sense," Jennifer responded.

Danny, who was quiet until this point, said, "What you say makes sense. But what of the rest of the play? Surely a single kiss cannot be an entire play."

Cody tapped his chin in thought and said, "Well, what about a person who is sad about something, like my character's girlfriend just dumped him, and Bridgette's character, who always had a crush on my character, tries to cheer my character up. And at the end of the play, they kiss."

Jennifer smiled and said, "I like it. But what will Danny and I do?"

"What if Jennifer played my best friend, who offers my character advice," Bridgette suggested.

"And I can try to help Cody's character out with his grief," Danny offered.

Jennifer smiled and said, "Well, I think we have things all set. Let's win this challenge!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: I have a good feeling about this challenge. The fact that the group works well together coupled with my love for the stage and our good ideas makes me think we will win this.

Danny: Honestly, I think our chances are pretty good. The best thing we have going for us is that the theatre enthusiast is on our team, and I'm okay with that.

* * *

Team Two (Trent, Courtney, Joseph, Megan)

"So anyways, then our protagonist will learn that he was happy all along with his friends by his side and then the play will end. Any questions," Courtney asked as she finished explaining a play idea to her teammates.

Trent asked, "Yeah, let me get this straight. You want us to perform a play about a man who searches for happiness and then he learns that he was happy all along?"

Courtney nodded and said, "That is correct."

"Well, I can be the main character, so long as we do this thing in nine minutes," Trent replied.

Courtney glared at the musician slightly and said, "Don't you start going all crazy with the number nine again."

Trent raised his hands defensively and replied, "It's not always, just today because it's the ninth challenge."

Joseph asked, "Back to the point, what are our roles?"

Megan suggested, "Well, since we know Trent's the main character, why don't we make Courtney his best friend."

"Not that I don't like Trent, but why," Courtney asked, confused.

Megan shrugged and said, "You know Trent better than everyone else."

"Makes sense," Joseph commented.

Courtney tapped her chin and said, "Right, I can be a cop or lawyer and Joseph, you can be my co-worker. Megan, I have an idea for your role…"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: (She is nervous) I don't really know about Courtney's idea. It might work but I am kind of nervous about how well this will work.

Courtney: I feel pretty confident about my chances. The only real threats are Jennifer's team and possibly Noah's team. But he has Izzy to deal with so I'm certain that I'm going to win.

* * *

Team Three (Noah, Nicholas, Izzy, Emily)

Noah was reading a copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet to analyze what makes a good play. That is, he was trying to read, but a certain redhead reading over his shoulder made the task difficult. "Noah! Noah! Noah," Izzy happily chirped.

Noah glared and said "What is it Izzy?"

Izzy pointed around the pages randomly and asked in rapid succession, "Who's this guy? What's going on here? What does that word mean? Does he fall in love? Does she die?"

Noah closed his book and annoyingly said, "So much for getting an advantage for my team."

Emily watched this exchange and facepalmed. Nicholas, who was next to her, chuckled and said, "My sentiments exactly."

Noah swatted Izzy away from his book and said, "Look, we might not get along that great, but we need to make this work. I have a couple of ideas, and I think we can make it work. It needs to be tragic. We need a hero who loses his girlfriend or siblings or something and then he manages to defeat a villain but sadly will die in the end. I can play the villain if you wish."

Emily shrugged and said, "That could work. Do you have any other roles in mind?"

"Well I need a henchman so Izzy, would you care to be my henchman," Noah asked, turning slightly to face the psychotic redhead.

"Izzy would love to work with Noah! I'll even ask for some acting lessons from my good friends E-Scope, Explosivo, and Esquire," Izzy said happily as she jumped on Noah's shoulders.

Noah frowned and said, "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: Well, Noah seemed fairly eager to lead us in this challenge. However, judging just from his expressions while planning our play out, he's going to have trouble working with Izzy.

Nicholas: Being on the team with Izzy, this is going to be difficult. I think we'll be lucky if we don't get last place.

* * *

Team Four (Mikey, Geoff, Gwen, Jessie)

The four teens were trying to figure out what they could do for their play. However, they were acting the complete opposite of how teenagers deciding something would act. Instead of voicing opinions and debating the options, the four teens were quietly contemplating their actions. Occasionally, one would think of something to suggest but would keep the idea to themselves.

Geoff, tiring of the silence, said, "Dudes, dudettes, we need an idea 'cause I cannot take all this silence man."

"Well, the best idea I have is a play about four friends who are trying to make a living in New York City. They share an apartment and are constantly getting different jobs to make ends meet," Jessie shared.

Mikey smiled and said, "I like it. It's better than any idea I would've had."

Gwen smiled slightly and said, "I agree. That's a really good idea you came up with Jessie."

"So it's settled? We're all doing Jessie's idea," Geoff asked. He was met by some affirmative nods. The party boy smiled and said, "Sweetness! Let's do it!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jessie: (She is giggling) Wow, I'm surprised they liked my idea so much. I didn't think it would be that great but I guess I was wrong.

Geoff: Dudes, Jessie has got some good ideas. I couldn't really think of anything at all. I'm glad I had at least one person who's a thinker on my team.

* * *

As the hours passed, the contestants were busy, trying to memorize lines and get their performances ready. Costumes were tried on, backgrounds were chosen, and interns were told when to use certain backgrounds. Before anyone knew it, it was three o' clock.

* * *

Chris was sitting in the middle of the seats in the auditorium. Sitting next to him was a grumbling Chef Hatchet. Chris picked up on this and said, "Dude, are you okay? You've been grumbling like that for a while now."

"No I'm not okay because I don't have my damn paycheck! When am I getting paid," Chef angrily asked.

"You'll get paid when the money is in the budget," Chris assured Chef.

Chef Hatchet rolled his eyes and said, "You're the one that balances the budget fool! Maybe if you didn't spend so much on your precious hair gel, you could pay me!"

Chris, wanting to avoid further discussion of the topic, shouted, "Will all of the students please come outside!"

When he noticed all sixteen teens still competing were on stage, Chris resumed, "All right, to determine the order as fairly as possible, I have a hat here with four coins in it. The coins are appropriately numbered one through four. I will pick a coin and then that team will have three minutes to start their play. Everyone else can sit in the audience and watch." Chris fished one of the coins out of the hat and announced, "And it looks like team number four is going to be on stage first. You guys have three minutes until the curtain rises, so be ready."

Chef narrowed his eyes at Chris and mumbled under his breath, "You got out of that one pretty boy."

* * *

Three minutes later the curtain rose and it showed a backdrop that showed the living room of an apartment. Out the window there appeared to be skyscrapers, showing that the apartment was in a city. Sitting on a couch is Mikey, who is dressed in jeans and a short sleeved tee shirt. He is holding a plastic cup with some sort of liquid in it.

The front door, which is at the end of the stage, opens and Mikey turns to see Geoff enter. He gets up and places his cup on the coffee table before walking over to Geoff and saying, "Adam, how did the interview go?"

Geoff sighed as he walked in and sat down on a chair and said, "It was okay Kyle. I didn't get the job I was hoping for but I did get a job at a lower position."

"So what, you get less pay and all that crap," Mikey asked.

Geoff nodded as Mikey walked into the kitchen and grabbed a can of soda and threw it to Geoff. "Well Adam, a job is a job, so we should celebrate," Mikey said as he emptied the contents of a second soda into his cup.

The two shared a toast as the door opened again. Gwen walked in wearing a navy blue version of her current outfit. She sat down on the couch as she sighed.

"Tough day Jen," Geoff asked.

Gwen nodded and replied, "Yeah. It kind of sucked."

Mikey headed toward the door and said, "Well, you will have to tell me about it later because I gotta get to work."

Mikey then exited and Gwen sighed again. Geoff looked over concerned and said, "Well, what's wrong Jen?"

"I got fired again. My boss said I wasn't working hard enough for him," Gwen replied with her face in a pillow.

"It's okay; we've all gotten fired on at least one occasion. I'll help you get a new job," Geoff said.

Gwen looked up and smiled a little before saying, "Thanks Adam."

The door opened again and Jessie walked in. She was wearing an apron and looked tired. She plopped down onto a chair and asked, "So how did the interview go Adam?"

"Not too bad Hilary. I mean, I didn't get the job I wanted, but I did get a job," Geoff said, shrugging off the fact that he got a worse job than what he wanted.

Gwen looked at Jessie and asked, "So how was the lunch rush today?"

Jessie shook her head and said, "It was exhausting. Apparently a lot of people have guests over the weekend before a holiday."

"You know, it's lucky that you're an awesome cook. I doubt we could afford this apartment if the owner of this building didn't cut us a deal," Geoff commented.

"Some deal. I work in the kitchen six days a week and we get a discount on this apartment. If it weren't for you two and Kyle, then we would be screwed," Jessie replied darkly.

Geoff got up and stretched and said, "Well, you can rest here for now Hilary. Jen and I are going to look for a job for her." Jessie looked shocked and said, "You were fired? That's terrible!"

"What's done is done. I can't do anything about it. What I can do is look for a new job," Gwen said as she and Geoff exited.

The curtain went down and rose again about twenty seconds later. Jessie was sitting on the couch reading a magazine when the door opened again. Mikey entered and Jessie asked, "Why are you home so early?"

"There was a gas leak in the building so everyone got sent home. Where's Adam and Jen," Mikey replied.

"Jen was fired from her job so she and Adam are looking for another job for her," Jessie said.

Mikey nodded and said, "Ah. Well hopefully she is able to find another job."

At that moment the door opened and Geoff and Gwen walked back onstage. "Hey guys! What's up," Geoff called out exuberantly as he closed the door.

Mikey smirked and said, "You sure are happy Adam."

Geoff nodded and said, "I am, but it's Jen who should be happy! She got a new job!"

"That's great news Jen," Jessie replied.

Gwen nodded and said, "Yep, it looks like everything is looking up for us."

The curtain then dropped and the audience clapped, with the exception of Courtney. The four teens stood in front of the curtain and Chris said, "Well, that was pretty good. It could have used some sort of drama, but I suppose when I give teens three hours to produce a play I can't expect much. Anyways, the next team to go will be team number two! You have three minutes to get ready."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: (His eyebrow is raised in amusement) That's the best that they could do? This challenge may not be so impossible after all.

Jennifer: I'm afraid I have to agree with Chris on this one. There needs to be some sort of drama in a play to make it successful. Other than that, I thought it was wonderful.

* * *

Teams two and four had swapped places in the audience as they prepared to present their play. Sure enough, three minutes after going behind the stage, team two was ready to perform. The curtain rose and it showed an office. Sitting at the desk in the office was Courtney. She was wearing a police uniform that appeared to be a bit tight on her figure.

She heard knocking at the door and Joseph's voice was heard, "Permission to enter Officer Sanders?"

Courtney nodded and said, "Yes you can enter Hector. Oh and please, drop the formalities."

"As you wish Sara," Joseph said upon entering the room.

"So what is it you wanted to tell me Hector," Courtney asked.

Joseph handed her a folder and said, "There's been another suicide, or at least it's assumed to be a suicide."

Courtney looked up, her eyes wide, and asked, "It wasn't Stephen, was it?"

"No, if you look at the initial report, it says that the victim is a teenaged girl, her name was not given," Joseph said, pointing at the folder he gave Courtney.

She immediately got up and said, "Well, we don't have any time to lose! Let's get going!"

The curtain then fell, rising again a few moments later. It showed what appeared to be a dark alleyway. Lying motionless in the middle of the stage was Megan. She had black clothing on and a black wig was resting on her head. Courtney and Joseph ran on the scene, followed by Trent.

"Would you hurry up Stephen? We need you to do your investigative stuff," Courtney said to Trent, who was dressed like a detective.

He looked around Megan's body and then picked up a wallet. Opening it, he looked at the contents before turning and saying, "Well Sara, the victim is Victoria Summers, age 17. From what the person who called us told me, she's a local Goth and said that the suicide was unexpected. She was slightly depressed, but nothing too unusual."

Courtney put her hand on Trent's shoulder and said, "You see why I'm worried about you and your depression? I don't want you to turn out like emos or Goths. I've seen plenty of suicides committed by emos and Goths, but mostly Goths. From what friends of victims have told me, there are many Goths that steal the boyfriends/girlfriends of other people. The suicides come from the ones that feel guilty about it. Now I'm not saying that it will happen to you, but I'm still worried about your depression."

"Look Sara, just because its been nine months since I broke up with my ninth girlfriend and I'm always working at the office until nine at night, that doesn't mean I'm going to commit suicide," Trent replied, going back to look at the body.

Courtney looked away and muttered, "I wish I could help you see how foolish you are being."

The curtain fell again and about a half minute later, it rose again. Trent was sitting at a table with various papers related to a police case in front of him. The doorbell rang and he answered it to see Courtney and Joseph. Trent raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sara, Hector, what brings you here?"

"We need to talk to you," Courtney said.

Joseph, next to her, simply said, "Uh huh."

"About what," Trent asked in an annoyed tone.

Courtney placed her hands on Trent's shoulders and said, "Look, I don't know why you're depressed, but you should be happy! Everybody is kind to you so there's no reason for you to be depressed!"

Trent stood there silently, as he thought about what Courtney said. His eyes soon widened and he said, "You're right! I've been happy all this time. Thank you Sara, for helping me realize that."

"I should thank you, since you're finally out of your depression," Courtney said as the curtain fell one final time.

The four teens walked in front of the curtain and bowed. Chris however, was tapping his chin. The host cleared his throat and said, "Well, it was pretty good, but since Megan had no real role whatsoever, I have to downgrade it slightly. Now the next team is team number three, which means team number one is last."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: (She is scowling) What the hell was that Courtney? I know you don't like me, but insulting me for a challenge? That's a pretty low blow. And for something that hasn't even happened! Duncan still loves you Courtney, not me!

Courtney: Ha! That will teach Gwen to try and steal Duncan from me!

* * *

After the three minute hiatus, the curtain rose to show Nicholas with a sheathed sword on his back. He pulled out a picture of Emily and said as he looked at it, "My dear Brittany, I promise to rescue you. I don't know why he took you from me, but I will rescue you, no matter the cost. I will use my happy memories of you and me on our dates as inspiration to press onward and continue on my path to victory. This I swear!"

The mechanic then looked upward at the castle that was painted on the background before resuming, "Todd, I don't know your motives or your reasons for doing this, but know this: You don't have much time left." Nicholas then walked offstage as the curtain fell.

Half a minute later it rose to show a small throne room. Sitting on the throne was Noah, and to his left was a cage which held Emily in it. Noah looked out the window and chuckled, "It looks like Max is trying to rescue you Brittany. I can't let him do that, now can I? Scarlet!"

Izzy entered the room wearing a deep crimson colored ninja outfit. She ran up to Noah and said, "Yeah Noah, I mean Todd?"

Noah raised an eyebrow before shrugging it off and saying, "Yes, I need you to guard this castle and destroy Max if he tries to get in. Under no circumstances is he allowed to enter."

"Okie Dokie! Off I go," Izzy said as she ran off stage.

"Why are you doing this? What are you trying to gain," Emily asked from her cage.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you," Noah said, casting a side glance to Emily as the curtain fell.

Another half minute later and the curtain rose to show exterior of the castle. Nicholas approached the large gate at the front of the castle before he heard a shout of, "Hey! Get away from there!" Izzy jumped down from the rafters, pulling a foam sword into battle position as she did so.

Nicholas barely had time to draw his foam sword in order to counter Izzy's leaping strike. The swords met and Nicholas glared at Izzy. "Scarlet," he said his voice dripping with anger, "so we meet at last. I'm going to destroy you and your master Todd as well."

"Izzy would like to see you try! Oops. I mean, that's going to be tougher than you think," Izzy cackled.

The mechanic dodged a slice of Izzy's weapon and said, "Not necessarily. Once I defeat you, Todd will go down. He may act all tough, but he can't fight off a defenseless child, let alone me."

The crazy girl stopped for a minute before starting to glare at Nicholas and shouting, "Don't you dare insult my friend Noah…I mean my master Todd!" She charged at him before the curtain fell.

After half a minute it rose to show Noah and Emily again. The know-it-all was pacing back and forth across the room, listening to the sounds of swords clashing. He grumbled, "Scarlet is my best warrior, how the hell can she take so long to defeat just a simple man?"

"Max is the strongest, most determined guy I know! If anyone is going to try and save me, it's going to be him," Emily shouted from the floor of her cage.

Noah simply sighed and said, "He can try, he can try."

The curtain fell for the fourth time and after another thirty seconds, it rose again. Izzy was swinging her fake sword rapidly at Nicholas, the mechanic trying his best to parry her strikes and not get hit. At one point he tripped and fell onto the stage, Izzy starting to beat down on him with her foam sword.

Noah's voice was heard shouting at her, "Izzy! You're supposed to lose, not win!"

Izzy stopped and looked offstage before she said, "Oh yeah." She waited for Nicholas to get up and then she charged at him, her sword ready to "stab" him. He held his sword in the same position but held his ground.

Once Izzy reached Nicholas, her sword went between his arm and body and his sword went between her arm and body, making it appear as if they stabbed each other. Nicholas pulled is sword back first and quickly putting it across Izzy's neck, moving it slightly as Izzy said, "No! Now I'm dead!"

Nicholas looked upwards at the castle before he started to pretend to limp offstage. Once the mechanic was offstage, the curtain fell before rising one final time.

Noah was pacing more than ever as he muttered, "I can't believe he managed to beat Scarlet. Just how strong is Max?"

"It's his determination to rescue me that gives him strength," Emily said from her cage.

Noah looked at her and said, "If he managed to beat Scarlet, he's going to beat me. Before he gets here, I must tell you why all of this happened."

"Oh, this will be good," the dancer replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I've been searching for more warriors to aid me in my efforts. I knew Max was strong but I also knew he would not come here voluntarily. That is why I kidnapped you Brittany. It was all part of my plan to get him to come here," Noah said as he looked at the caged girl in front of him.

Emily frowned and said, "Well genius, it's not going to work because there's no way he would join you now, after all that has been done!"

Noah looked away and said, "I am aware of that. That is why you will not tell him what I have just told you now. I must fight him and appear to be evil, that way to him it seems my reason is justified and it's not utter crap."

There was silence for a few seconds until the doors opened and Nicholas entered, "limping" more than he was before. Noah whirled around to face him before saying, "If you want Brittany, you will have to beat me first!" Noah pulled a dagger out from behind his back and charged Nicholas.

"You shall not win Todd," Nicholas yelled as he brought his sword out and slashed Noah's arm. Noah kept on going and hit Nicholas in the chest with his fake dagger, before being hit in the neck with the foam sword.

Noah hit the ground and Nicholas grabbed a key from his body and used it to open up Emily's cage. "Brittany, you're safe now. Go," Nicholas said.

The dancer shook her head and said, "Not without you Max."

Nicholas faked a pained breath and said, "I'm not going to make it. I just want to make sure you are okay. Goodbye Brittany."

Nicholas slumped to the ground before Emily said, "Max? Max! Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax!"

The curtain fell and the members of the audience looked at each other with odd looks. Chris, who also looked awestruck, said, "Well, that was pretty weird. Not sure what to think about this. Team one, you guys are up.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: In retrospect, that was a terrible plot for a play. Well, I'm pretty sure we won't be getting immunity today.

Izzy: Yay! Izzy did super today! Wahoo!

* * *

After three more minutes, the curtain rose again to show what appeared to be a teenage girl's bedroom. Sitting on the bed was Bridgette, who was looking at a picture of someone. She quickly hears a knock and puts the picture under the pillow. The surfer shouts, "Come in!"

The door opened and Jennifer entered. "Nicole guess what," Jennifer asked as she closed the door.

Bridgette shrugs and replied, "I don't know. What happened Kelly?"

Jennifer sat down on the bed and said, "Josh broke up with his girlfriend."

Bridgette literally jumped off the bed as she said, "No way! Really?"

"Yep," Jennifer replied as Bridgette calmed down, "Apparently she dumped him. But now comes the important part. You can go out with him."

Bridgette sat down and said, "But, I'm too shy around him. You're the only one who knows that I like him, you gotta help me!"

Jennifer chuckled and said, "Okay, calm down Nicole. I'll help you get the guy of your dreams."

"Thanks," Bridgette replied, a smile on her face.

The curtain fell for thirty seconds before rising again to show a different bedroom. It was intended to be dark as the curtains for the windows were drawn. Sitting on the bed with a six pack of soda was Cody. He sighed as he took a sip of his drink. A knock was heard on the door to the bedroom and Cody groaned. "Come in," he said in an annoyed tone.

Danny opened the door and said, "How are you holding up Josh?"

"Meh," Cody said emotionlessly.

Danny rolled his eyes and said, "Look, I know she was a bitch about it, but just because you broke up with her, it doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

Cody looked up from his soda can and said, "Yeah, but have you ever been dumped by your girlfriend Ryu? You don't know how bad it feels."

"Yes, that is true. But do you know what else is true? There's always going to be somebody else out there," Danny commented in an attempt to bring Cody out of his slight depression.

Cody slumped over on his bed before saying, "Whatever, just leave me alone for now. I'm allowed to be depressed over what my bitch of an ex did."

Danny shrugged and prepared to exit the room, saying, "So be it, just don't be upset if you miss out on a girl who wants to go out with you."

The door closed and Cody said to himself, "Is that really true? Is there a girl that wants to go out with me?"

The curtain fell before rising and showing a mall setting. Cody was sitting at a table with a soda, talking to Danny. Cody seemed to be in a much better mood than he was in the last scene. Off to the side, Jennifer and Bridgette were seen sitting at a different table.

"Okay, just to review," Jennifer said, getting Bridgette's attention, "It's been a month since Josh's girlfriend dumped him and he's happier now. Go out there Nicole and ask him out."

Bridgette nodded and said, "Right. Thanks Kelly, for everything." Bridgette walked over to the table and said, "Hi Josh. Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Hey Nicole, go right ahead," Cody said before motioning toward Danny and saying, "By the way, this is Ryu. I don't know if you've met."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Danny said like a gentleman.

Bridgette smiled and replied, "Likewise." Turning her attention to Cody, she asked, "So Josh, how have you been doing?"

"Well, aside from my girlfriend dumping me a month ago, it's been relatively normal," the tech geek replied with a shrug.

The surfer nodded and said, "Yeah, I heard about that. You seem to be taking it fairly well."

Cody nodded and said, "Yeah, I got over it after a couple of days."

Danny got up and said, "Josh, I'll talk to you later, I've got to go."

"Alright, see ya Ryu," Cody said as Danny left the stage.

Bridgette smiled and said, "Well, as long as you aren't sad anymore, that's good. I hate seeing my friends sad."

"Thanks for caring Nicole, you really are a kind soul just as everyone says," Cody replied, smiling as well.

"Well, I try to always be nice, no matter what," Bridgette stated.

Cody leaned a little closer to Bridgette and said, "That's a great personal attribute."

"Yeah," Bridgette said before she added, "Hey Josh?"

The tech geek replied, "What's up Nicole?"

"I was wondering, would you maybe want to go out with me," Bridgette said in her greatest attempt to act shy. She was met with Cody's hand lightly grabbing her chin and her head getting pulled toward his.

His lips met hers and they stayed that way for a few seconds before Cody pulled away and said, "Does that answer your question?" Bridgette nodded and got up, holding Cody's hand as the pair walked offstage and the curtain fell.

Many members of the audience got up and applauded the team as they took a bow in front of the curtain. Chris looked at some notes, part of which included his ideas for future challenges before he stood up and said, "Well, Chef and I thought about it, and Teams one and four win! Teams two and three, you are going to elimination! You have an hour and a half before the ceremony! Have fun!" The host left the auditorium and the competitors began to spread out around the school.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Am I surprised that I lost? Not really. I blame Izzy, but I might not vote for her because her craziness will be a perfect reason to get her eliminated later. (He waits for a few seconds) I think Joseph's tactics is wearing off on me.

Jennifer: That was pulled off perfectly! I'm glad it worked out for us.

* * *

Jennifer was walking down a hallway with Trent after she used the confessional. "Hey," Jennifer said, "Did you ever think that you might get eliminated today?"

Trent raised an eyebrow and said, "No, why? Do you think I'm going to get eliminated?"

"I just have this weird feeling," Jennifer said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Let's not worry about the elimination. Let's just focus on each other, if only for a couple minutes," Trent said as he wrapped his arm around Jennifer's waist.

She nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm probably just imagining things."

* * *

In another part of the school, Joseph was talking to one of the losers. "Come on," Joseph said, "I could really use some help in voting. Besides, the others may want to vote you out."

"What? No way! All right, I guess I can vote for who you want. You aren't doing this to try to manipulate your way through the game, are you," the loser asked.

Joseph looked appalled and said, "No! I just wish to help my friends advance farther. That's all."

The mystery person nodded and said, "Okay, see you at elimination!"

The person walked away while Joseph muttered, "Good. The worst case scenario is a tiebreaker."

* * *

Cody was sitting in the cafeteria with Emily, his arm draped over her shoulders. She sighed happily as she leaned against her boyfriend. "Are you happy that I asked you out," the tech geek asked.

Emily smiled and said, "There's no way to describe how happy I am."

Cody nodded and said, "That's good. Do you know who you're voting for?"

"I was thinking Izzy because she lost the challenge for us," was the dancer's reply.

"That's a good reason. Well, I should probably let you go, don't want you to be late," Cody said as the couple stood up.

Emily nodded and said, "Right. See you after elimination!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: Sorry Izzy, but I think your slip-ups were what caused our failure, not the plot of the play.

Trent: To be honest, I think Chris was right about not having Megan do anything. Nothing personal, I'm just voting for who didn't perform well in the challenge.

Courtney: One step closer to getting rid of Gwen. I vote- (The feed is mysteriously cut off)

* * *

The eight losers of the challenge were sitting in the auditorium, Chris standing at the podium. The host cleared his throat and said, "Another challenge, another elimination. You know the drill. You get a hall pass, you're safe. If you don't, you get eliminated and you can't return, ever! The first hall passes go to those without votes: Joseph, Noah, Courtney, and Nicholas." The five students claimed their hall passes and sat back down.

Chris resumed, "The bottom three. Megan, you didn't have any speaking lines in your team's play. Izzy, you screwed up numerous lines in your team's play. Trent, I have no clue why you are here. Alas, the person with the least votes is Megan!" Megan sighed a breath of relief and got her hall pass. "Izzy and Trent. Trent and Izzy. One of you is going home! The final hall pass goes to…"

…

…

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…

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"Izzy. Sorry Trent, but you've been eliminated."

As Izzy got up and got her hall pass, Trent sighed. He left the auditorium to see Chef outside. The army chef said, "Normally, I'm supposed to take you to the aftermath studio immediately after you get eliminated. But since Chris owes me my paycheck, I'll let you say goodbye to your girlfriend. Trent nodded and found Jennifer rather quickly.

The musician pulled the performing artist aside and said, "Jennifer, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I got eliminated."

She gasped and quietly said, "Oh no."

Trent solemnly nodded and said, "I hate to leave you so soon after we got together, but I want you to promise me you will do your best and fight on for me. You can go all the way, I know it."

"I'll miss you Trent," Jennifer replied, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'll miss you too, but Chef told me that there was an aftermath studio, so we will see each other again," Trent said calmingly as he embraced his girlfriend.

She gave Trent a goodbye kiss as Chef told the musician that he had to leave. Jennifer stood there, waving to Trent until she couldn't see him anymore.

Outside, Chef and Trent boarded the bus, where Chef told Trent to make one final confessional.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Trent: How do I feel? Well, it sucks to be eliminated so soon. Ironically, I'm the ninth one eliminated. On the plus side, Gwen and I resolved any weird feelings after our breakup last season and Jennifer and I hooked up. I hope Jennifer wins, but if not her, Gwen, Cody, or Emily. They are all great people and deserve to win.

* * *

Joseph stood in a classroom, watching the bus depart with Trent. He watched it and said to himself, "Another one down. Only Fourteen more to beat and then I will show him that he can't beat me at everything."

* * *

Chris was shown sitting in the principal's office and said, "And so, Trent bites the dust, leaving his sad girlfriend behind. Shame, he was one of my favorite contestants. Anyways, will these teens be able to handle whatever devious challenge I come up with next? Will Nicholas finally fight with Danny? Will Gwen and Courtney's conflict escalate? Find out the answers to these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Trent – 4 (Noah, Courtney, Joseph, Izzy)

Izzy – 3 (Emily, Megan, Nicholas)

Megan – 1 (Trent)

* * *

Fun Fact!

I had the entire elimination order determined a long time ago. It was only recently when I realized that Trent was going to be eliminated ninth, which is considered to be his lucky number.

* * *

Author's Note - Well, I finally finished the next chapter. I didn't really like this chapter, and I'm sorry for the confusion caused by using other names for the character's roles. Anyways, I blame summer for the late update. I kept telling myself that I was going to write during the summer, and only recently got my act together. I will try to have one more update before the end of the month, but no promises. On a more serious note, I have a new poll about the fate of the planned sequel of this fic. Yes, a sequel. I won't reveal any details yet, but it will involve how I determine the characters for the sequel. Please review, and read my other fics, which hopefully will get an update by the end of next week. Also, see if you can point out any of the references I used in this chapter. I will reveal the more hidden one next chapter. Lastly, I have a new feature to add: A preview for the next chapter! Until next time!

* * *

Next Time: Chris, in all his wisdom, decides to rip off a classic video game franchise, but with a twist. How will this tie into a school subject? Find out next time!


	12. Chapter 10: Vroom Vroom!

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama. I would think of a unique/funny way to state this but I can't right now.

Warning: There is one serious moment in this chapter. In addition, from this point out the drama is going to start picking up.

* * *

Chris stood in front of the high school as always, but this time he had a remote control in his hands. He played with it for a moment and soon an RC car flew across the screen before hitting the wall. Chris looked at the car and said, "Good thing I borrowed that from Harold."

"Um, Mr. Mclean? The camera is rolling," said an intern, presumably behind the camera.

Chris looked shocked and turned to the camera putting on a faked smile. He loudly said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! I split the teens into groups of four and forced them to produce a short play. On top of that, I only gave them three hours! We learned that Courtney can be a schemer, when she came up with a plan to hurt Gwen before sending her packing. Only time will tell if her plan works. We saw romance, on and off the stage, as Cody hooked up with dancer chick Emily before kissing Bridgette during their play! On a different note, Courtney's plan to take out Gwen's friends worked, as Trent was eliminated. But that was yesterday, and this is today! Will any of these teens be able to put the pedal to the metal? Will Gwen finally strike back at Courtney for targeting her? Will Harold mind that I may have broken his RC car? Find out the answers to most of these questions right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Jennifer sat at the very back of the bus. She was tired, as she couldn't get much sleep due to Trent's elimination the day before. The performing artist's eyes were also bloodshot. She was able to keep herself composed until they got back to the hotel. Once there, she cried for a while, which is part of the reason why she didn't get much sleep. She sighed and mumbled to herself, "What did you do Trent? Why were you voted off?"

* * *

Closer to the front of the bus, some of the contestants were looking at Jennifer worriedly. Emily sighed and said, "I wish there was something we could do for her."

"I know," Cody nodded before saying, "But we have to give her some time to get over Trent's elimination."

"I guess, but what if she doesn't get better? What if she stays depressed," Megan replied.

"If she stays this way," Jessie suggested, "Then we may have to eliminate her. It would be like Julie though and be out of pity."

Nicholas nodded and said, "I agree with Jess. Let's just hope that it never comes to that." The others nodded.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jessie: I really didn't like eliminating Julie out of pity. I felt like I was punishing her for something she didn't do. That's why even though I suggested it I don't want to eliminate Jennifer. It just wouldn't feel right to me.

* * *

At another part of the bus, Gwen was talking about the previous elimination. "This doesn't even make sense," Gwen stated, "I don't know why Trent was eliminated or even if there was some reason to it."

Geoff, who was one of Trent's better friends, replied, "Well, it could have been dumb luck. I mean, he wasn't exactly friends with many of the people up for elimination, but he wasn't their enemies either."

Mikey shrugged and said, "While it's sad to see he's gone, there isn't enough evidence to show that somebody planned out his elimination. If there appears to be a string of eliminations that are connected in some way, like the couples keep getting split up, then there would be more than enough evidence to show that the votes were being influenced."

"That makes a lot of sense Mikey. Were you ever planning on being a lawyer," Bridgette asked.

"Well, my mom always said I would be good at being a lawyer," Mikey replied with a shrug.

It was at this moment that Joseph made his way over to the group. The overachiever warmly greeted, "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"We're good. We were just talking," Bridgette replied.

"Well that's good to hear," Joseph said with a smile before becoming serious, "I came over here to tell Gwen that I believe Courtney was behind Leshawna's elimination on day one."

"I thought she had something to do with it. She's been gunning for me ever since TDA," Gwen grumbled.

Mikey thought of something and proceeded to ask, "Wait, if you're telling us this, why do you always hang out with Courtney?"

On the inside, Joseph was worried slightly, but on the outside, he smiled and said, "Well, I always thought she had something to do with it, but in order to find out I had to act friendly toward her." Mikey nodded, understanding the situation.

Gwen said, "So what should I do?"

"First off, don't let her know what I told you. Just keep your grudge up and expose her at the right time," Joseph assured her.

Gwen sighed and said, "All right."

Joseph smiled and said, "Excellent." He then walked away.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: My plan is fairly simple: Let Gwen and Courtney fight it out and when they weaken each other, take them both out. (He thinks for a second) When I said they should fight it out, I was being figurative. Unless a challenge specifically mentions fighting, I meant they should continue their argument.

* * *

Izzy was sitting next to Noah, who was away from his alliance partners in order to get rid of any suspicion. This happened to bother the know-it-all because Izzy didn't seem to understand the words "go away" and "leave me alone".

Izzy was busy asking Noah random questions about aliens, monsters, and the chameleon that she believed lived on his head. This last one made less sense to Noah than any other question and he said, "Izzy, you're beating on the top of my head like it's a drum. Don't you think you would feel a chameleon if you kept hitting on my head?"

"Silly Noah, I can't feel it because it's invisible," Izzy giggled.

Noah, who was astonished at how crazy Izzy was, looked at Danny, who was sitting in the seat opposite Noah, with a look that said, "Please help me."

Danny chuckled and said, "You're on your own Noah."

Noah sighed before saying, "Hey Izzy, wanna see if Danny has any invisible creatures on his body?"

Izzy looked at the warrior teen and said, "Hmm. He might but I think Courtney's hiding a few invisible creatures."

Izzy leapt off of Noah's shoulders and went to find Courtney. A few seconds later, Courtney shouted, "Izzy, will you get off of me!"

Danny chuckled again and said, "Well played Noah, well played."

Noah laughed in response and said, "Well, I certainly try."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Izzy: Well Noah and Courtney didn't have any invisible animals on them, so they aren't responsible for that cat that keeps appearing and disappearing in my room. I will find who planted that cat that speaks in riddles in my room!

* * *

The bus arrived at the school soon after Courtney threw Izzy off her shoulders. Chef opened the doors and everyone, including Chef, departed. The contestants saw Owen, Duncan, Beth, Katie, and Sadie waiting around, but no Chris.

"Not that I particularly care," Noah stated, "but where is Chris?"

"He said he would meet us here. Something to do with the challenge," Chef said.

Courtney approached Chef and said, "Chef, you said Chris owes you several paychecks, correct?"

Chef looked at Courtney and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Um, yeah. Why?"

"I could get you in touch with my lawyers, if you want," Courtney said, "Chris remembers them, so all you should have to do is say you're going to talk to them. That should get you your missing paychecks."

"Okay but why are you helping me? I don't plan on starting alliances with the contestants anytime soon," Chef said.

Courtney smiled and said, "I just see that you are somebody who has been wronged by Chris, and any attempt to strike back at him should be taken."

There was silence for a few seconds until a low hum was heard. "What's that," Jessie asked.

Nicholas looked toward the origin of the noise and said, "It almost sounds like an old car or something, judging by how loud the engine sounds."

After a few seconds, a motorcycle drove onto the sidewalk and stopped by the contestants and interns. The rider stepped off of the sleek Japanese motorcycle and took off his helmet, revealing himself to be none other than Chris.

"Morning contestants," Chris happily announced.

Danny raised an eyebrow and said, "So why did you ride in this morning on a motorcycle?"

Chris flashed a smile and said, "I'm glad you asked Danny! You see the motorcycle has something to do with today's challenge."

"Total Drama on Motorcycles," Mikey said, hazarding a guess.

"Yes! Total Drama on…wait no, that's not it. You all are going to be building go-karts to race in," Chris announced, grinning as he watched the puzzled looks on the student's faces.

There was one exception however, as Nicholas thrust a fist into the air and cheered, "Yes! Finally something that I excel at!"

Chris laughed and said, "That's right Nicholas! You will be placed in teams of three, where each team has to build a go-kart. I know most of you have next to no experience building these, which is why I've decided to give each team a standard kit to build a go-kart. However, if you think you can add anything extra, go right ahead. Also, each team will have one of the intern's helping you, but they decide which team they want to help. I'll give you until one to build these bad boys, and then I'll explain part two."

After a few seconds of silence, Noah asked, "Chris, aren't you forgetting something?"

The smile on Chris' face disappeared and he asked, "Did I not put any gel into my hair this morning?"

Noah facepalmed as Courtney shouted, "Not that! The teams!"

"Right, the teams," Chris said as he pulled an index card out of his pocket and looked at it before saying, "Okay, the first team will have our resident mechanic, Nicholas! He will be joined by Danny and Jennifer. The second team will have Courtney and Gwen along with Geoff! Let's see, third team will be Mikey, Cody, and just for good measure, let's have Megan. The fourth team will be Bridgette, Emily, and Noah. The last team will have Joseph, Jessie, and Izzy! Now interns, pick your team!"

Duncan nonchalantly walked over to Courtney, Gwen, and Geoff and said, "Well, I'm going with Princess here."

"Duncan! Stop calling me that," Courtney said as she crossed her arms.

Gwen laughed at Courtney's reaction, causing the CIT to glare at the goth girl.

Katie approached Noah, Emily, and Bridgette and said, "Do you guys mind if I join you?"

Noah shrugged and said, "I'm fine with it. Do either of you two mind?"

Bridgette shook her head while Emily said, "No, that's fine."

Beth meanwhile, approached Cody, Mikey, and Megan and asked, "Hey Cody is it alright if I help your team?"

The tech geek nodded and said, "Not a problem."

"I'm fine with it," Megan agreed as Mikey nodded.

Owen walked over to Joseph, Jessie, and Izzy and said, "Hi Izzy! Do you mind if I work with you?"

"Izzy would love it! What about you Joseph," the crazy redhead replied.

The overachiever shrugged and said, "Its fine by me."

This left Sadie to approach Nicholas, Danny, and Jennifer. "Um, hey. I know I can't really help much, but I'll do what I can," the chubbier BFFFL said shyly.

Nicholas shrugged and said, "That's quite alright. I know enough that even if you don't know much about cars, we can still do well, at least in my opinion."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: I feel really confident that we can succeed in this challenge. Hell, I could probably single-handedly build the go-kart, if I had to.

Noah: Honestly, I'm not sure what to think of my team. Bridgette is a surfer and Emily is a dancer. None of us seem like we're mechanic material.

Mikey: I've been thinking about our abilities, and Cody and I can probably trick out our go-kart to make it do some pretty badass things!

Izzy: Hah ha! Izzy's gonna make a go-kart go wicked fast! Maybe it'll use Nitro!

* * *

Team One (Nicholas, Danny, Jennifer; Helper: Sadie)

The team was in one of the five bays used for working on cars in the school. A large box was opened and it's contents strewn about on the floor around the box. Nicholas was currently looking through the parts given to him in the kit, as well as the spare parts Chris provided. Looking up from all the parts given to him, he looked over to a table in the back of the room. Sitting at the table were Danny, Jennifer, and Sadie. Danny had his arms crossed, while Jennifer's head was on the table and Sadie was trying to comfort the performing artist.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and said, "So, anyone have any ideas?"

"Aren't you a mechanic? Why are you asking us," Danny replied with a hint on annoyance in his tone.

"Um, I was just being polite. Anyways, what's wrong with her," Nicholas responded while pointing a finger at the moping Jennifer.

Sadie looked up and said, "She's still sad about Trent leaving."

Nicholas nodded and said, "I can respect that." The mechanic walked over to the performing artist and put his hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I know you're sad that Trent left," Nicholas said encouragingly, "I just want you to know that if you don't think you can participate in the challenge, I'm not going to force you. I think we can manage if you aren't up to it."

Jennifer sniffed and then smiled slightly, saying, "Thank you Nicholas. I might try to help you out later."

"Don't worry about it," Nicholas said with a smile.

Danny scoffed and said, "So because she's sad, you're giving her a pass for the challenge?"

Nicholas whirled around and glared before saying, "Yes I am. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Personally, yes. Nobody should get a pass because they're sad. How is that fair," Danny replied, throwing his hands in the air.

"Give her a break! Her boyfriend just got voted off," Nicholas responded angrily.

Danny crossed his arms and said, "Yes. That's quite a shame. Next you're going to suggest we put a type of nitrous in our vehicle to give it a boost in speed."

Nicholas glared and said, "Damn straight I will!"

"You clearly have no respect for honor," Danny shouted.

Nicholas got up in the warrior's face and said, "You clearly haven't seen enough of this show. The ones who win are the ones who play to their advantages. I'm going to do that and if you have a problem with that, you can get the hell out of here. I don't need you."

Danny gave Nicholas the finger before storming out of the room. Sadie crawled out from under the table, Jennifer beside her. The chubbier BFFFL said, "Wow that was so intense! I thought you and Danny were going to start punching each other."

"Yeah, well I've been waiting to call him out since he screwed me over during the woodshop challenge. If he can't deal with the fact that I want to win, then I don't care about him," Nicholas said with a shrug.

Jennifer quietly said, "Are you going to be able to build our go-kart by yourself?"

Nicholas smiled and said, "Don't worry. I've been doing this all my life. I think I know what I'm doing."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: Danny thinks that because he's here to restore honor or some bull crap like that, he can do whatever he wants, screwing people over in the process. People who win challenges are always the ones who have advantages. Owen won season one because smelling brownies gave him energy. Jennifer won yesterday because she's always acted in plays. It's common sense.

* * *

Team Two (Courtney, Gwen, Geoff; Helper: Duncan)

Duncan and Geoff sat at the table in their workspace, looking at the unopened box containing the go-kart kit. They then looked at each other, sharing a glance that showed confusion. They then directed their attention to the workbench with the other assorted parts and saw why they had not yet started their work.

At the workbench, Gwen and Courtney were arguing with each other about Duncan. The punk thought that this challenge would be great, as he would be able to spend time with his girlfriend and one of his closer friends, but those hopes were swiftly shot down as the two girls began arguing once they got into the room.

"Damn it Courtney! Why can't you realize that I have no feelings for Duncan," Gwen reasoned with the CIT.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "You're just lying so I'll let my guard down! It's not a coincidence you broke up with Trent just as you and Duncan were on the same team!"

Gwen scowled and said, "It is a coincidence! Trent was throwing challenges for me! That's why I broke up with him! Besides, why are you so worried? You usually deny that you like Duncan!"

"I do like Duncan! He's just more forward than I would like," Courtney replied.

Gwen rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, that's it for sure."

Duncan got up and said, "Ladies, please. There's no need to fight over me. To get you too to stop arguing, I love Courtney and Gwen is just a friend. Happy?"

Courtney sighed and said, "Okay Duncan, I believe you. But I've got my eye on you Gwen."

Geoff walked over and said, "Okay, now that that's done, how about we make a go-kart!"

"Yeah, we should get started on the go-kart," Gwen said.

Duncan smirked and said, "I got us a plan. Geoff and I will work on the engine, wiring, and other stuff like that. Girls, can you two get along long enough to build the frame and put in stuff like the seat and steering wheel?"

"I think I can put up with Ms. Boyfriend stealer here long enough to build the frame," Courtney said, jerking a finger at Gwen.

Gwen's eye twitched and she said, "Shut up Courtney! I've never stolen anyone's boyfriend and I don't plan on starting that anytime soon!" As the two girls began to argue again, Duncan sighed while Geoff pulled his hat over his eyes.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: (We would show her rant about Gwen, but not only is this a half-hour show, but it's not rated R)

Gwen: (We would show her rant about Courtney, but again this is only a half-hour show. Gwen's rant is more viewer friendly than Courtney's however.)

Duncan: You know, I thought that this challenge was going to be enjoyable. I get to spend time with my girlfriend, two of my other close friends, and I don't run the risk of being eliminated. I think Geoff and I will be lucky to get a go-kart up and running at this point.

* * *

Team Three (Mikey, Cody, Megan; Helper: Beth)

Unlike the first two teams, Mikey, Cody, Megan and Beth had been able to work together really well. The four teens had already built the basic frame after which they split the work up, the guys working on the engine while the girls worked on the rest of the chassis. Mikey and Cody were currently tinkering with some things that would help their go-kart be able to attain a higher speed.

"All we need is some sort of injection system so the fuel gets injected with some nitrous. That should give us a speed boost," Cody said while scribbling some notes down on a piece of paper.

Mikey, who was also scribbling on a piece of paper, said, "You know what I think we should put on our go-kart? The pitching machine that Chris gave us." Sure enough, there was a small pitching machine among all of the extra pieces Chris had supplied their team with.

Cody raised an eyebrow and said, "The pitching machine? Why do you think that would be helpful?"

"Think about it," Mikey said, reasoning with Cody, "Chris loves to watch us fight each other, right? So suppose we race our go-karts and get baseballs or something to throw at the other drivers. A pitching machine would make things a lot easier."

Cody tapped his chin in thought before smiling and replying, "You know what? That makes a lot of sense. Let's put it on, and even if we don't need to race, it'll make our go-kart look much cooler." The gamer and tech geek shared a fist bump before wondering how they would attach the pitching machine to the hood.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: If it's one thing I've learned so far on this show, it's that Chris likes to watch us hitting each other. From what I've seen of TDI and TDA, plus the laser tag and dodge ball challenges, he wants us to hurt each other a lot.

* * *

The two girls of the team were currently working on a design for the body of the go-kart. They had settled on a front that resembled an arrow, but instead of having a point, it curved in an arc. The back of the kart was to be flat, but tailpipes on each side kept it from being boring. The two girls also managed to install the seat, and were working on the steering wheel and the accelerator and the brake.

Beth, who had finished her job of putting the seat in, was sitting down on a chair she brought over from the table. "Do you need any help Megan," the farm girl asked.

The nice girl smiled and said, "No, I think I'm good." It was silent for a moment before Megan chuckled and said, "You know, when I was told I was going to be on Total Drama, I did not think I would be doing this."

Beth nodded and said, "Yeah I know! When I first signed up for Total Drama Island, I didn't think I would've gone to an island with prehistoric beavers, played paintball, or end up conquering one of my fears."

Megan smiled and said, "Yeah, despite all the drama this show has, it can be pretty unique." It was quiet for a few seconds until Megan asked, "Beth, do you have a boyfriend?"

"I used too. Brady was nice, but he didn't like all the attention I got as runner-up of TDA. We're still friends though. Why do you ask," was the farm girl's reply.

The nice girl said, "Well, there's this guy I like, but I don't know how to go about asking him out."

Beth thought for a moment before advising, "Well, I think the best thing you can do is simply talk to him and ask him out politely. That should work."

"Thanks Beth," Megan replied with a smile.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Well, I suppose Beth is right. I need to talk to him as soon as I can. I don't know if I could stand him being voted out and then hoping he doesn't get a girlfriend before I get a chance to ask him.

* * *

Team Four (Bridgette, Emily, Noah; Helper: Katie)

Noah was currently studying the instruction manual for how to assemble the go-kart while he directed the three girls on what they should do. Katie wholeheartedly accepted what his role was to be, while Bridgette and Emily were hesitant to accept it at first. This soon changed when they realized how precise Noah's instructions were.

"Wow Noah, I'm surprised," Emily said after putting a wheel onto the go-kart, "I didn't think you would be so helpful just reading instructions to us."

Noah smirked and said, "I don't like to brag, but while I may not be built for many physical things, when it comes to intellectual things, I'm tough to beat."

Bridgette thought for a second before she said, "I'm not surprised about that. The only person who could match you in intelligence I think is Joseph."

"Yeah, well we'll see who makes it farther," the know-it-all muttered under his breath.

"What was that Noah," Katie asked, curious as to what the know-it-all had said.

Noah quickly threw on a fake smile before he said, "Nothing. I'm just doing a little thinking. Now, would you be so kind as to see what we have in terms of paint?" Katie nodded and quickly checked the supply closet in the rear of the room.

Bridgette smiled and said, "Wow, Katie will do anything to help you Noah, won't she?"

"She is my friend you know. Who else do you think got her to stop blubbering about missing Sadie," Noah retorted, a smirk plastered upon his face.

"Oh I know! Justin," Emily called out to which Noah face-palmed.

The know-it-all sighed and said, "No, not Justin. It was me, as the anti-me was too busy not talking to help her out of her depression, or whatever you might call it."

Katie returned and said, "We have red paint, yellow paint, and a sky blue paint. Which should we use?"

Noah shrugged and said, "I'm not the most artistic person here. You can use what you want."

Katie's eyes lit up and she squealed, "I'm going to make our go-kart like, so cool looking!" The thinner BFFFL ran over to get the paint so she could start working on the go-kart.

Emily and Bridgette looked at the excited girl before Noah said, "Well, according to the instructions, we're done."

The two girls looked at the currently silver go-kart and Emily noted, "Would you look at that. It's done."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Okay, so our go-kart is Spartan in nature. We didn't add anything extra, so it's just a go-kart. If the second part of the challenge is a race, we're screwed. Knowing Izzy, Nicholas, Duncan, Cody, and possibly a few others, their karts are going to be immensely enhanced.

* * *

Team Five (Joseph, Jessie, Izzy; Helper: Owen)

Izzy cackled as she was mixing something up over by the table with extra parts on it. Based on what she had said previously, she was supposedly making a nitrous mixture that would be able to give their go-kart an insane speed boost.

"Note to self," Joseph mumbled as he worked on the acceleration and brake systems, "Do not use anything that Izzy may have modified."

"What was that Joseph," Jessie asked, an inquisitive look on her face.

Joseph faced the quiet girl and said, "Oh I was just making a mental note to stay away from anything that Izzy may have modified. She's so crazy I don't think I could trust it." The overachiever then noticed Owen was a few feet away from him, to which he added, "No offense Owen."

The jolly giant laughed and said, "It's alright Joseph! Most people say Izzy is too crazy, but I like that. It makes her unique."

Jessie smiled and said, "Wow Owen, that sounded really romantic."

"Yeah I know! Maybe because I'm around all these smart people, I'm becoming smarter," Owen stated as he looked longingly at Izzy.

Joseph raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't think it's possible for intelligence to physically rub off on someone, but you might be learning from us."

"Oh," Owen said as he looked slightly sad.

"Now Owen, just because our intelligence isn't physically being transferred just by being together, that doesn't mean you aren't learning from us. You can still learn things from us, we just have to teach it to you," Joseph said in an apologetic tone.

Owen beamed happily and scooped Joseph up into a big hug before he said, "Now that you've said that, I feel great!" Joseph struggled to escape Owen's grip for a minute before the large teen put him down.

Once Joseph dusted himself off, Izzy shouted, "DONE!" The crazy redhead sprinted over to her teammates and presented a small container of liquid.

Joseph looked quizzically at what Izzy was holding and said, "Do I even want to know what this is?"

Izzy tapped Joseph's nose and said, "Silly Joseph, this is our nitrous! This is gonna make our go-kart go really fast!"

"I'm well aware of what nitrous does," Joseph said as he swatted Izzy's hand away.

Izzy jumped over to where Jessie was and said, "Now it's time for me to inject our engine with this stuff!"

"I may not know much about cars, but isn't there supposed to be an injection system," Jessie cautiously asked.

"Yeah, if you want to give a slight amount of control to it. If we do it this way, we're gonna go really fast really quick," Izzy happily said as she finished putting the nitrous into the engine system.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Okay, I'm probably not the first person to think this, and I probably won't be the last. I feel like my life could be at stake for working with Izzy. That's not a good sign.

* * *

Chris was standing outside the school, in front of the five bays that were being used for the challenge. At one 'o clock sharp, Chris pulled out his signature bullhorn and used it, causing a loud siren that caught the attention of every competitor. The host then picked up his megaphone off the ground and said, "Build time is over! Each team will bring their go-karts forward, one at a time, until all five are out. So without further ado, Team one, if you would please come forward!"

The first of the bays opened, and Nicholas, Jennifer, and Sadie appeared, wheeling out their go-kart. It was a decent size for a go-kart, but it also had the appearance of a muscle car. The engine of the go-kart could be seen through the top of the go-kart and the multiple cylinders were visible. The go-kart itself had a black base, with red and orange flames on the sides of the vehicle.

Chris looked impressed as he said, "Wow Nicholas. I figured you could make one nice go-kart, but this thing is badass!"

"Thanks. I'm actually surprised this turned out so well, given how much time I had to work on it," the mechanic said as he scratched the back of his head.

Chris chuckled and then noticed something important, "Um, Nicholas? Where's Danny?"

Nicholas' expression drastically changed as he was now frowning as he said, "Oh, him. Yeah he was going to be a total prick and not let me make awesome modifications. So I told him that I didn't need him and would be better off without him."

Chris chuckled and said, "Well this is interesting. You see, all members of a team need to be present for a challenge or that team automatically loses!"

Jennifer quietly said, "Wh-what?"

"Dude! Are you serious," Nicholas shouted, slightly enraged.

"I am serious. I may bend some rules to my liking, but this is one rule that cannot be changed," Chris said as he shook his head.

Nicholas kicked a broken down car and said, "Damn it!"

"Oh will you shut up," a voice called out. Nicholas, Jennifer, and Chris looked toward the source of the voice and saw Danny standing on the roof of the school.

"Danny? You came back," Jennifer asked. The honorable teen nodded and said,

"I may not be on the best terms with Nicholas now, but I'm not risking my own ass by not showing up."

Chris nodded and said, "Well, since Danny is now here, you guys are still in!" Nicholas and Jennifer cheered and high-fived.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Danny: I came here to play with honor. To be honest, ditching my team and getting us thrown into elimination is not honorable.

* * *

Chris lifted the megaphone to his lips and said, "Team Two, you're up! Get out here!"

The second bay opened and Duncan and Geoff emerged, wheeling their cart out. It looked like an ATV crossed with a jeep, as it had the body of an all terrain vehicle and it had the doors of a jeep, or lack thereof. It was painted dark green and blue, to match the color of Duncan's Mohawk and Gwen's highlights. Gwen and Courtney walked out after the boys did, a few scratches present on their faces.

"What's wrong girls? Did you two not get along," Chris joked after taking note of Gwen and Courtney's appearances.

Duncan nodded and said, "Oh yeah, they fought all right. It was mostly verbal, but they actually traded blows once or twice."

"So that's the noise I heard," Nicholas exclaimed, "I figured Izzy detonated a bomb again."

"Nah man, these two have been going at each other for a while. It's major harshness dude," Geoff said while tilting his cowboy hat down.

Jennifer sighed and said, "Why do people always have to fight?"

Geoff shrugged and said, "I dunno dudette, I dunno."

Chris smiled and said, "Well it's good to see that there's some drama still here. It's not called 'Total Drama' for a reason!"

"That's why you put us together? So that we would fight," Gwen furiously shouted.

"Yep! Aren't I a genius," Chris asked with a smug tone in his voice. In response, crickets were head chirping, until they were eaten by a frog who croaked, who was then picked up by an eagle and carried away. Chris frowned and lamented, "Whatever, team three is up."

The third of the bays opened and Megan, Mikey, Beth, and Cody walked out, pushing their kart. It was mainly red with some black stripes throughout the design. The pitching machine was mounted to the hood and there were little wings added to the back spoiler for decoration.

Chris whistled upon seeing the kart and commented, "Wow that is one interesting kart! Is all that functional, or aesthetic?"

Cody pointed at the pitching machine and said, "Well, the pitching machine definitely works. As for the wings, those are just for decoration."

"Did you really have to ask that Chris? The only reason there would be wings on a go-kart would be for decoration," Mikey replied.

"I was referring more to the pitching machine in regards to that question," Chris mumbled.

Mikey shrugged and said, "Whatever floats your boat."

Megan giggled and said, "Mikey's got a point, that question was just plain stupid."

Mikey and Megan shared a high-five as Chris grumbled and said, "Whatever, team four, get out here!"

Noah, Bridgette, Emily, and Katie opened the fourth bay and wheeled their kart out of the building. Unlike the three before them, theirs was pretty boring. It had not changed from its original go-kart shape but it now had a red and blue paint job. The red was primarily in the front and it gradually turned into purple and then into blue as the paint reached the back of the kart.

"Hmm. Interesting color choice for the body. Any reason why you guys did that," Chris asked, intrigued about their design.

Noah shrugged and said, "Katie wanted to paint it so we let her."

Chris nodded and said, "Fair enough. Now, compared to the other karts, this one looks boring. Does it have any special features?"

Bridgette smiled sheepishly and said, "Unfortunately, none of us have the skills that would be needed to modify the go-kart in any way."

"Seriously Chris, do we look like mechanics," Noah dryly responded.

Katie nudged Noah with her elbow and whispered, "Be nice, you're only going to encourage him."

Chris gave the kart another look-over and said, "Well, we would discuss this more, but we don't want to cut too much footage and there's still a second part of the challenge so without further adieu, team five, it's your turn!"

The last bay opened and Joseph, Jessie, and Owen wheeled out their kart. Izzy would've been helping, but her teammates insisted they could handle it. After seeing their kart, that excuse was relatively believable. It consisted of a small, pointed body with two tailfins on either side of the main body. The entire kart was painted a dark blue, except for a small amount of writing on the side which was in white.

Chris blinked before saying, "Dude, that is one small kart."

Joseph quickly came up with an excuse, "It'll go faster this way?"

"That's right. The smaller mass will help contribute to the overall speed of the kart," Jessie added.

"Makes sense to me," Chris said with a shrug. The host then smiled and said, "So who's ready for the next part of the challenge?" A few mild cheers greeted the host and he shrugged, mumbling, "That's more cheers than I would have predicted."

Chef walked over and thrust a flag at Chris before walking away, grumbling once more about his paycheck. "Right," Chris said, watching Chef leave with an odd look, "Anyways, the second part of the challenge is going to be a race! But not just any race, you guys will be racing on the race track we built last night." Chris gestured toward a field and a large canvas tarp was lifted to show a nicely made go-kart track wrapping its way around some trees and even crossing over a bridge that crossed a stream.

"Each team will have one driver who will take their karts around the track. It takes five laps to win. In addition, you guys can interfere with your opponents by using orange peels and tortoise shells. Don't worry, they're fake. I think," Chris announced.

"Um Chris? This is sounding eerily familiar," Mikey noted.

Chris continued, ignoring Mikey, "In addition, the nameless interns will be throwing small explosives at you. As far as I know, they can't harm you too badly. And even if you were hurt, that new clause that was added to the contracts that you all signed prevents us from being sued if you die. The bombs look like this!"

Chris pulled one of the explosives out of his pocket and showed it off to the contestants. It was navy blue and had eye decals as well as a smile painted on. A small fuse was coming out of the top and a small key inserted in its back.

Mikey raised an eyebrow and noted, "This is starting to become really familiar."

"Basically, you guys have to complete five laps, avoid hazards deployed by the enemy, watch out for these Bomb-Orbs, and be one of the first two to finish to win immunity. If you total your kart your team goes to elimination," Chris smiled.

"I'm almost certain this is bordering on copyright infringement," Mikey stated louder so hopefully Chris would hear.

The host ignored the gamer yet again and said, "This challenge is called Super Total Drama Kart!"

Mikey shrugged and said, "Well, can't say I didn't warn him. If he gets sued, then that's not my problem." Chris led the students and interns to the track, their karts being pushed along the way.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I knew Chris had low standards for challenges, but seriously? Ripping off Mario Kart just takes this to a new low.

Nicholas: I can't wait to see my baby in action! This is my challenge!

Bridgette: I honestly hope the tortoise shells are fake. If they aren't, Chris is gonna have a lot of protestors on his hands.

* * *

The five go-karts were lined up at the starting line. Chris had allowed the teens to give the drivers as many orange peels and tortoise shells as their karts could hold. Nicholas was sitting in his muscle car, a pile of orange peels surrounding him. Geoff was sitting in the off-road vehicle, a few tortoise shells next to him and orange peels behind him. Mikey was behind the wheel of the sports car with wings, about ten tortoise shells in the pitching machine and some orange peels next to him. Next to Mikey was Emily, sitting comfortably in the go-kart with tortoise shells next to her and a couple on her lap. At the end of the line was Izzy, who didn't have room for more than two tortoise shells and a few orange peels.

Chris, dressed in his referee garb from the P.E. challenge raised a green flag in the air and called out through his bullhorn, "Are you guys ready to race?" Engines revved, teams cheering their drivers on, and the horn of one of the karts answered the host.

"All right! Ready! Set! Go," Chris shouted, waving the flag as the five karts took off. Izzy quickly gained a lead as her fuel injection system and small kart made her faster.

Using a small wireless headset, Mikey said, "Hey Cody! Take out Izzy!"

"Can do man," was the tech geek's response. Using a camera mounted to the hood of their kart and a videogame controller, Cody aimed their improvised turret at Izzy's kart. After a few seconds lining up the shot, a tortoise shell was fired from the pitching machine and was sent hurtling at Izzy's kart.

The redhead saw it was coming and threw an orange peel behind her. This effectively slowed the tortoise shell to a stop before it made contact with Izzy's kart. Mikey frowned for a second before he got really excited.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: After getting over Chris' lack of imagination, I realized that we were basically playing Mario Kart in real life. And it was awesome!

* * *

Nicholas gunned the engine of his muscle car and sped up slightly, pulling ahead of Emily and Geoff. Not to be outdone, Geoff gunned the engine of his kart and matched the speed of the mechanic's kart. As the mechanic and party animal pulled away from her, Emily floored the gas pedal of her kart and started to approach the others.

Holding onto the steering wheel with only one hand, Emily threw a pair of tortoise shells at the other racers. Nicholas swerved out of the way of one shell, which bounced off a wall and slowly approached Mikey's kart. The other shell made contact with Geoff's kart, but luckily for him it didn't hit hard enough to cause much damage, if any.

* * *

In the stands, the non-racing competitors and interns were watching. It also appeared as if the interns were watching more intently than the other competitors. "Hey Duncan, why are you so focused on the race," Courtney asked.

Duncan looked at the C.I.T. and said, "No real reason. I just wanted to watch a race." Courtney raised a suspicious eyebrow at the punk but did not say anything.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Duncan: To be honest, Chris made a deal with the interns. Out of the interns, whoever helped the team that comes in first place will get like a hundred bucks! That's why I forced Geoff to be the driver. If Gwen or Courtney were driver, I feel like they would throw the race just to try to eliminate the other. I swear, those two are more catty than Gwen and Heather were back on the island.

* * *

Back on the racetrack, Mikey noticed the tortoise shell finally approach. The gamer quickly hit the brakes, stopping his car but preventing the shell from hitting the thin frame. As soon as the shell passed, Mikey floored the gas pedal, but that didn't stop Nicholas and Geoff from pulling ahead. The gamer quickly sent out a request for another shell to be fired at his opponents. Cody obliged and sent another shell flying at Nicholas.

* * *

As this was happening, Izzy haphazardly threw her orange peels around the track in her general area. She grinned at her handiwork and imagined the other karts sliding on the peels. The psycho cackled slightly before she sped off to garner an even greater lead on the others.

* * *

As Nicholas narrowly avoided the shell Mikey fired off, he was rammed on the side by Geoff. The party animal increased his speed slightly and dropped a few orange peels in an attempt to shake his competition. Nicholas and Mikey hit the peels and while the mechanic stopped temporarily in order to gain control of his kart, the gamer hit the brakes for a second and then sped off again at virtually the same speed he was going when he hit the peel.

Emily watched this and threw a shell at the gamer's kart. Mikey saw the peels in front of him and the shell behind him and decided the best course of action was to try to slide on the peels. His strategy worked as he swerved out of the way of the shell, but he also spun around, forcing him to turn around before he could continue. Nicholas, Geoff and Emily raced on, passing the gap Mikey made in the peels.

* * *

Further on ahead, Izzy approached the random interns throwing bombs down at her. She swerved, slowed down, and even spun around to avoid the explosive projectiles.

* * *

Geoff continually traded blows with Nicholas, as the party boy and mechanic were ramming their karts into each other to try to stop the other. While the two were trying to outperform the other, Emily slipped by and sped off. Mikey, who was well into last by now, flipped a switch on the dashboard of his vehicle.

The gamer said into his headset, "I'm too far behind. I'm activating the turbo boost."

"But Mikey, if you do that, there's no saying how the kart will run at the end of the race," Cody frantically called out.

"If I don't do anything, we're gonna lose," Mikey responded.

Cody sighed and told the gamer, "Fine, use the boost."

Mikey pressed a flashing red button on the dashboard of the kart and it accelerated rapidly. The kart surged forward, surpassing Geoff and Nicholas, making it closer to Emily.

* * *

Back with Izzy, the crazy girl dodged two bombs thrown at her when she ran into a third one she didn't see. Her kart went out of control and crashed into the wall of the track. The crazy girl climbed out of the kart and looked to see if she could do anything about the wrecked kart. One of the interns who knew Izzy's craziness firsthand threw an extra bomb at her kart, just to make sure it was gone. Izzy saw this bomb and threw it up to the scaffold-like overpasses where the interns threw the bombs from.

* * *

With the other four, Geoff and Nicholas quickly activated their turbo boosts, attempting to approach Mikey, and to an extent Emily. Both teens made it to where Mikey was, but due to Nicholas having a knack for mechanics, his turbo boost propelled him farther ahead, closer to Emily.

Mikey looked across to Geoff and nodded toward his friend, as a way of saying "good luck." Geoff nodded in response and the two tried to catch up. Nicholas' extra propulsion caused him to become neck and neck with Emily and the dancer smiled at the mechanic. Nicholas gave a friendly smile in response as the two passed by Izzy's wrecked kart.

A few seconds after the mechanic and dancer passed the wreck, chaos erupted. A loud explosion was heard and Nicholas used his rearview mirror to watch as the bombs on top of the scaffolding exploded, taking out the support of the platform. The single remaining support bent under the new weight it had to support until it broke, sending the platform the interns stood on crashing into the next archway. This one got knocked backwards by the force of the falling scaffold and the supports of the second one gave way as well, sending the second scaffold falling.

At this moment, Mikey and Geoff turned a corner only to see a large metal archway come falling towards them. Nicholas' eyes widened and he hit the brakes and turned the steering wheel, turning him around so he could get to his competitors. Emily also turned around to make sure the gamer and party boy were unharmed, though she took an extra moment as she was not comfortable performing such a dangerous turn. Nicholas swerved around the fallen wreckage and tried to find the two drivers.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: Oh my God, I hope Geoff is all right. I don't know what I would do if I lost him. I also hope Mikey is all right, it would crush her if he got hurt.

Courtney: Oh my, that was bad. I honestly hope neither of them were injured, though if they were, we could sue Chris and make that bastard pay.

Joseph: (His eyes are wide.) Are those two all right? I honestly hope they are. I may want to win more than anything, but I'm not soulless. I'm genuinely concerned for their well-being.

* * *

When Nicholas managed to make it around the wreck, he noticed Geoff's kart was not directly in the wreck, one of the tortoise shells nearby. He also noticed the party boy was busy trying to undo the seatbelt of Mikey's kart.

"Holy crap," was all Nicholas could mutter when he noticed the condition of the kart. The scaffolding fell on the hood of the kart, collapsing it and causing the airbag to deploy, which appeared to have knocked Mikey unconscious.

The mechanic then noticed the gamer was unconscious and ran over to Geoff. "Move out of the way," Nicholas commanded, pulling out a Swiss Army Knife. Using the tool, the mechanic sliced Mikey's seat belt in two. Nicholas lifted the gamer up and, with Geoff's assistance, carried him to the infirmary.

Along the way, Emily ran over to the three and said, "Oh my God! Is Mikey all right?"

"We don't know," Geoff said before adding, "Go get Chef Hatchet!" The dancer nodded and ran off.

* * *

After Nicholas and Geoff came into view supporting Mikey, the spectators all jumped up and did various things. A few, like Bridgette, Cody, Megan and Gwen, ran over to help support the gamer and let Nicholas and Geoff rest for a moment.

Others, like Courtney, Joseph, Jennifer, and Danny, ran into the school to find help and get some aid to Mikey.

The rest of the competitors and the interns helped clear the way for both the people supporting the gamer, and those who searched for aid, and found a stretcher. As the teens tried to place Mikey on the stretcher, Chef Hatchet came barreling out of the school to help.

Chef Hatchet placed the gamer on the stretcher and then pointed at Geoff and bellowed, "Party Boy! You come too! You were in the crash, so you gotta come!"

Geoff raised an eyebrow and said, "Um, I'm fine Chef. I actually didn't get caught in the wreck."

Chef rolled his eyes and picked Geoff up, hoisting him over his shoulder. As the cook walked off, Geoff called out, "Do you think he heard me?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Geoff: So the real reason why Chef wanted me to come with him was so I could tell him what happened. I don't see why he couldn't have said that to start.

* * *

The rest of the contestants were waiting outside of the infirmary, many of them sitting down, but a few were pacing around. None were pacing more than Chris himself.

"If he gets seriously injured, I could have one hell of a lawsuit on my hands. I remember when Courtney sued for something as minor as not being able to be on TDA, and that was brutal! I don't want to think of how bad it could be," the host said to himself.

"Is that all you care about? Mikey could be seriously hurt and all you care about is having money," Bridgette yelled out.

Many were shocked by Bridgette's anger, including Chris. The host managed to say, "Look, we're trying to save up money to make the challenges less hazardous. But if we get sued, we lose that money and there's no guarantee that the challenges will be any less dangerous. I will admit we've had some pretty dangerous challenges, but if we can get enough money saved up, we'll be able to make future challenges safer."

"That's if anyone will want to sign up for this show anymore after what's happened," Noah retorted in a cynical tone.

The doors to the infirmary opened at that moment and Chef Hatchet walked out.

Megan stood up and asked, "Is Mikey gonna be okay?"

Chef shrugged and replied, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know," Gwen shouted.

"I ain't a doctor! All I know is how to heal people if they cut themselves or are vomiting and that crap," Chef angrily replied.

"You mean to tell me," Joseph said, both intrigued and appalled, "That you're in charge of medical needs and you don't know how to diagnose ailments?"

Chef glared and pointed at Chris, shouting, "Blame Pretty Boy! He could've paid for some basic medical training! Hell, if he paid me for my work, I would pay for it myself! But no, he has to spend so much of our budget on himself."

"We'll deal with Chris being a cheap bastard later, but for now we should worry about the matter at hand," Danny replied, calm amidst all the chaos, "How are we going to deduce Mikey's condition?"

Noah slowly got up and said, "I know enough about medical knowledge that I should be able to diagnose Mikey." The know-it-all walked into the infirmary, followed shortly by Chef Hatchet.

The waiting room grew quiet again until Joseph calmly asked, "I am aware that this is probably not the best time, but who won immunity? I feel we should know before the results are forgotten."

"Hmm? Oh, right the challenge. Well, Izzy and Mikey crashed, and Geoff couldn't continue with the steel scaffold in the track so Nicholas' team and Emily's team win," Chris replied, lacking enthusiasm. The six immune students were lacking enthusiasm as well as they were all concerned for Mikey.

It was quiet again for a couple minutes until Noah walked out. The odd thing was that the know-it-all was smiling. "Good news guys," Noah stated with a slight happy tone, "Mikey's going to be fine. I analyzed his condition and determined that he has a very mild concussion. He may have sprained a couple bones, but that's not too major. From the looks of it, his seat belt kept him from getting injured further. Let that serve as a lesson to those watching this."

"Will he be able to compete still," Megan asked, elated that her friend was okay.

Noah nodded and said, "With a little bit of rest he should be fine in the morning, so long as the challenge isn't too strenuous."

Chris smiled, not only because he wouldn't have to deal with a lawsuit, but Mikey was one of the more tolerable contestants, and said, "That can be arranged. Also, since he's going to be able to compete, I'm giving him immunity for today. Geoff, you get immunity as well for helping him."

The party boy let out a cheer and hugged his girlfriend. Chris continued, "As for the seven of you without immunity, elimination will be in a half hour." The host got up and departed to tell his boss that they wouldn't have a lawsuit on their hands. The students then dispersed to pass time until elimination.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: I think things here have been going really well. I got a girlfriend, I aced the challenge today, and despite what happened during the challenge, Mikey's gonna be all right.

* * *

Nicholas and Jessie were sitting in the cafeteria at one of the many circular tables. The quiet girl was sitting in the mechanic's lap, and they simply kissed now and then and enjoyed each other's company.

After a moment, Jessie asked, "Nicholas, do you worry that I'm going to be eliminated?"

"Honestly, I worry that you will be eliminated every time you don't get immunity, but then I tell myself that there's no reason for you to be eliminated. Why do you ask," Nicholas replied to his girlfriend.

Jessie sighed and said, "I don't really know. I just didn't do much during the challenge and after yesterday's elimination, I feel vulnerable."

Nicholas gave Jessie a quick peck on the cheek and said, "Jess, don't worry. I think there's a greater chance that Izzy will get eliminated because she caused Mikey's accident."

The quiet girl smiled and said, "Thanks Nick."

The mechanic smiled and said, "That your nickname for me? 'Cause I like it." Jessie nodded and the two shared a kiss.

* * *

Joseph met with Courtney and Noah to discuss their next move. "Remind me why I'm here again. I'm immune so this doesn't concern me," Noah stated bluntly.

Joseph chuckled and said, "It's best for everyone to know the plan. Anyways, after hearing what happened today, I have learned of another rivalry, and I feel we should make use of it while we still can."

"So we're going to eliminate somebody and then pin the blame on someone else? Not a bad strategy," Courtney commented.

Joseph smiled and said, "Indeed. Here's the plan…"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: I don't know about this. The person Joseph suggested is one of the few people I like. I'm starting to regret ever joining this alliance.

* * *

Joseph approached Izzy and prepared to put his plan in action. "Hello Izzy," the overachiever calmly stated.

Izzy chirped, "Hiyas! What's up?"

Joseph shrugged and said, "I was just wondering, did you know who you were voting for yet?"

"Nope! Did you want me to vote for somebody," the crazy redhead asked.

"Well, somebody suggested I vote for this person, and I thought you might like to know as well," Joseph said before whispering the details.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Well, I think we have enough votes out of the seven of us. To who I voted for, I just wanted to say that it was not personal. This was just a step in my plan.

Gwen: Courtney's really getting on my nerves. I'm voting for her before she tries to hurt me.

Jessie: After what Nicholas said earlier, I feel like voting for Izzy is my best move.

* * *

At the elimination ceremony that afternoon, Chris had called all the contestants down, so fourteen teens were sitting in the seats. Mikey was the only one unaccounted for, and that was because he was still resting. Chris took his place at the podium and said, "Well, we're here for yet another elimination. The reason you're all here is because we need to get all of you used to eliminations during the merge, where everyone will be present. Anyways, I have six hall passes, due to Mikey and Geoff being immune. If you do not receive a hall pass, you must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers. You will be eliminated and can never come back ever! The first hall passes go to Joseph, Gwen, Cody and Megan!"

The four shared a collective sigh of relief when they heard they had gotten immunity. Izzy however, was less than thrilled, as evidenced by her cry of, "What? How can Izzy be in the bottom three again?"

"Well, you crashed our kart," Joseph stated.

Gwen added, "You blew up that scaffold too."

"Don't forget you could've killed Mikey," Megan commented.

Cody nervously said, "And you are kinda crazy."

Izzy blinked and said, "Well I'm sorry all that happened, but if that intern hadn't thrown an extra, unnecessary bomb at me, it wouldn't have happened."

Chris shouted into his megaphone, "Hey guys! I'm trying to do elimination here! It's kinda important! So shut up!" Izzy sat back down and the four immune joined the six immunity winners.

Chris looked upon the remaining three with any evil grin. "Well now there's you three, who all received votes. The second to last pass goes to Izzy," Chris said while pointing at the crazy girl. Izzy let out a cheer and sat down with the others who had immunity.

Nicholas looked slightly worried now, but told himself, "Courtney has got to be liked less than Jess. There's no way she would be eliminated now."

Chris smirked and said, "Well, it looks like it's down to Courtney and Jessie. One of you ladies will be going home. The final hall pass of the day goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Courtney."

An angry shout of "What?" permeated the air as the C.I.T. got up to claim immunity. Many heads turned to see that it was Nicholas who had shouted. "You mean to tell me," the mechanic heaved, "that my girlfriend, who didn't have any enemies, was eliminated instead of Courtney?"

"I'm afraid so bro," Chris said shaking his head.

Chuckling was heard and Nicholas turned to see Danny was chuckling. "Oh this is irony at its best," the warrior stated, "The person who performed the best during the challenge has his girlfriend eliminated the same day. That is too funny."

Nicholas had fury in his eyes and he glared at the warrior before shouting, "That does it! It's time for a Death Battle!" **[1]**

"Um, you sure you didn't mean, a battle to the death," Geoff asked.

"I know what I said," was the mechanic's angry reply. Nicholas lifted a fist in the air, ready to punch Danny, but a soft, small hand grabbed him.

Nicholas looked to see Jessie was the one to restrain him. "Nicholas, don't get angry at him," Jessie requested, "You don't know if he actually was behind my elimination. It could have been dumb luck."

The mechanic sighed and said, "Okay fine. I'm going to miss you, you know."

Jessie grabbed a hold of Nicholas' hand and said, "I'm going to miss you too. But we'll see each other again at the Aftermath studio."

Nicholas smiled and said, "You're right. Well, I'm going to win this for us!"

"That's the spirit," Jessie said supportively.

The couple leaned forward to kiss and shared a kiss for about five seconds until Chef came in and separated the two, saying, "Jessie, you gotta get going."

The quiet girl nodded and said, "All right. I suppose I'm ready." Nicholas walked his girlfriend outside and watched as she got on the bus. He continued to stand there until the bus could no longer be seen. With a sigh, he walked back inside.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jessie: Well, I had a decent run here on Total Drama High School. I performed well and I made a ton of friends. I even got a boyfriend! I just hope he doesn't do anything he might regret while I'm not there. Good luck Nick!

* * *

Once everyone cleared out of the auditorium, the teens dispersed and did whatever they normally did. Everyone except Cody had resorted to their normal after-elimination activities.

The tech-geek approached Nicholas, who was sitting by himself in the cafeteria and said, "Hey Nicholas? I'm sorry about earlier. I knew I should've voted differently."

The mechanic raised an eyebrow and asked, "You voted for Jessie?"

"No. I voted for Courtney because Gwen asked me too. If I had voted for Izzy, it would've been a tiebreaker and Jessie could've stayed," Cody explained.

"Don't worry about it too much," Nicholas said as he looked out the window at the sky, "I don't mind that you voted for Courtney. It's those who did vote for Jessie that should look out."

Cody nodded and said, "Well okay. I'll see you around, I guess." Nicholas waved as Cody left.

* * *

Chris was standing outside next to a brick wall and said, "Well after a very eventful day, Jessie has been voted off. How will Nicholas cope? Will he be an emotional mess like how Jennifer was this morning? Will Mikey be fully recovered? Find out the answers to these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time of Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Later that night after all the teens had arrived at their hotel, Geoff, Bridgette, and Megan were sitting in Mikey's hotel room, hoping for some good news. They sat in silence, hoping the gamer would wake up. After about fifteen minutes, Chef Hatchet entered and said, "Look, visiting hours are over! I want you all out of here in five minutes."

He exited and then Bridgette said, "Megan, I think Geoff and I are gonna go to our room. We should get some sleep."

The nice girl nodded and bid the couple good night as they departed the room. Megan waited another minute or two and sighed before walking over to Mikey's bed and kneeling next to him. In a spur-of-the moment feeling, Megan leaned forward and kissed Mikey on the cheek, whispering "Get well soon." As the nice girl exited the room, Mikey's eyes opened very slightly. He quietly asked "Megan?" as the nice girl closed the door.

* * *

Votes

Jessie – 3 (Joseph, Courtney, Izzy)

Courtney – 2 (Gwen, Cody)

Izzy – 2 (Jessie, Megan)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie

Contestants Remaining: Geoff, Noah, Cody, Bridgette, Courtney, Izzy, Gwen, Mikey, Nicholas, Danny, Joseph, Emily, Megan, Jennifer (14 remaining)

* * *

**[1]** – Death Battle is a webseries produced by the videogame website . The premise is basically Deadliest Warrior, but it uses videogame characters, for the most part. It's known primarily for its matchups, which include logical battles like Mario vs. Sonic and Mike Haggar (Final Fight) vs. Zangief (Street Fighter), as well as random battles like Justin Beiber vs. Rebecca Black, a Goomba vs. a Koopa, and most recently Starscream (Transformers) vs. Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony). I'm not kidding on that last one, look it up on Youtube if you don't believe me. Actually, even if you do believe me, look it up anyways, it's pretty hilarious.

* * *

Fun Fact!

When originally planning everything out, Jessie was supposed to be eliminated before now. It was only after I decided to make Jessie and Nicholas a couple that her elimination was delayed. Originally, she was going to be eliminated during the Physical Education challenge, when Julie was eliminated.

* * *

So another chapter is done! I'm going to try to update as frequently as I can, but being a senior in high school and taking four AP courses doesn't exactly mean I'm going to have as much free time. Anyways, I ask that you please take a look at the poll I have set up regarding the sequel to this story. If nobody votes, I don't know what people would want, so it would be difficult to please everybody. And if you're going to take part in my poll, please take the time to leave a review, even if it's small. I even welcome criticism, as it makes me a better writer. Now, regarding last chapter, nobody guessed any of the references! The two references were Emily's cry of "Max? Max! Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax!" was a reference to the cry uttered when Snake dies in Metal Gear Solid. The other reference was cleverly veiled. In her play, Gwen's character was named Jen. I did this intentionally as Gwen's voice actress is the same voice actress that voiced the character Jen in 6teen. Well, that concludes this author's not I suppose. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: Chris, looking for a simple challenge and feeling lazy, decides to reuse a challenge from Total Drama Island. To keep everyone on their toes however, he adds in a twist!


	13. Chapter 11: That's a Spicy Meatball!

Disclaimer: Total Drama does not belong to me. Instead, it belongs to it's rightful owners.

* * *

Warning: I know with the next few chapters a lot of people will get upset over the eliminations. I'm sorry but that's the way the plot has to go. Please don't hurt me and keep reading even if your favorite character gets eliminated.

* * *

Chris was seen standing in a kitchen with Chef Hatchet. The large cook was showing the host how to operate the stove. "Now turn that dial to at least 11," Chef Hatchet instructed, pointing at said dial.

Chris raised an eyebrow and asked, "Turn it up to eleven? Don't you think that's dangerous?"

Chef snorted and said, "No, it's an old stove. It takes a bit more juice to get it going."

"If you say so," Chris said hesitantly as he turned the dial up to eleven. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a large flame erupted from the burner and hit Chris right in the face for a few seconds before dying down. Chris' face was slightly charred but that was not his main concern.

He ran away screaming, "My beautiful, flawless hair! I have to get some more hair gel!"

Chef and the intern holding the camera laughed at the condition of their boss. Chef wiped a tear from his eye and said, "That has got to be one of the greatest things I have seen so far on this show."

The cameraman managed to stop laughing and said, "That was pretty funny. But now it looks like you have to do the intro."

"Me? Um, I guess I could," Chef said as the cameraman got the camera set up.

"Don't worry about this Mr. Hatchet, we have a teleprompter, so you'll have an idea of what to say," the cameraman stated as he pointed at a television screen.

"So that's what that's for," Chef mumbled as the cameraman stood up.

The intern working the camera pointed at Chef and said, "And we're rolling!"

Chef cleared his throat and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! Chris put the teams into groups of three and had them build a go-kart. The teams themselves were dramatic, as Nicholas fought with Danny and Courtney and Gwen argued. Taunting laughter. Oh I mean, Hah ha! Um so anyways, after they built their go-karts, they had to race them. After an incident that involved Izzy and bombs, Mikey had to be rushed to the infirmary. Luckily for him, he was revealed to be fine. At the elimination ceremony, Jessie was the unlucky one and Nicholas was left angry. So what type of challenge will take place today? What kind of a stupid question is that? We're filming this in a damn kitchen, what do you think the challenge is? Anyways, will Nicholas try to get rid of Danny for some reason? Will another shocking elimination take place? Find out the answers to these questions right now on Total Drama High School!"

"And cut," the cameraman said as he lowered the camera.

"So, how was I," Chef inquired.

The cameraman started to put the camera away as he said, "Pretty good, for your first time doing it."

Chef smiled as he said, "You really think so?"

"Totally. You should've seen Chris when we did a practice take on day one of TDI. He was a mess," the cameraman said.

Chef grinned and said, "You wouldn't happen to still have that footage, would you?"

* * *

Mikey and Geoff were currently in Mikey's room of the hotel. The reason for this was Mikey was still a little disoriented from the crash the previous day, so he needed assistance of some sort. "So then I felt something like somebody kissing my cheek. Since I was basically asleep, I woke up very slightly. The only person I see is Megan, and she's leaving the room," Mikey finished telling Geoff the events that transpired the previous night.

Geoff nodded and appeared to be thinking for a moment before speaking, "Well then dude, it has to have been Megan who kissed your cheek right?"

Mikey nodded in confirmation, replying, "That was the only conclusion I could come up with."

"Then isn't that good," the party boy asked.

Mikey looked down for a second before stating, "Well, yes, that is a step in the right direction I suppose. But it's not out of the question that that could've been just a platonic kiss. You know, ones between friends that don't really mean anything."

Geoff grabbed Mikey's shoulders, surprising the gamer, and said, "Dude, you need to dig deep and summon the courage to ask her out. Yeah, right now we're only assuming she might like you romantically, but that doesn't matter! If yesterday proved anything, it's that anything can happen on this show, so you can't waste time."

Mikey stood for a moment, reflecting upon Geoff's words, until he said, "You know what? You're right! Wasting time will get me nowhere. Today, I'll ask her out!" Geoff high-fived the gamer as they prepared to leave for the day.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: Geoff made a good point. Given how unpredictable this show can be, waiting could ruin any possible chance of forming a relationship with Megan. (He waits a moment, and then looks directly at the camera.) Yes, I admit it. I have a crush on Megan. I've had one since the beginning of the competition, or more specifically, the second day, when she was first my teammate.

* * *

While the bus carted the students off to the school, Gwen was sitting with a select group of people, namely, Jennifer, Nicholas, Cody and Emily. "Okay so I've determined that somebody may be going around and breaking up the couples. First Trent leaves and then Jessie? It seems like it might be more than coincidence," Gwen said as she addressed the four contestants.

Jennifer nodded slightly, still a little sad over Trent's departure. Nicholas however scoffed, "Look, I appreciate the concern and all, but as far as I'm concerned, Danny was the one behind Jessie's elimination. I get rid of him, and my problems will be solved."

Gwen shook her head disapprovingly at Nicholas' course of action, but said, "Fine, if that's the way you want to do things."

Cody cleared his throat and asked, "So why are Emily and I here?"

"Oh, that's pretty simple. Given the fact that couples with the new contestants are being broken up, it seems like one of you could be the next target," Gwen explained with a shrug.

"That's not very reassuring," Emily said.

Gwen tapped her chin in thought and said, "Well, it's possible I am overlooking things."

"With any luck you are overanalyzing this. It's probably just a coincidence," Jennifer said quietly.

A couple seats over, Joseph smirked to himself. The overachiever had pretended to be sleeping so he could eavesdrop and he just learned something very interesting.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: (The overachiever is still smirking) Gwen's a smart girl. However, I'm not intentionally breaking up the couples. I'm just finding opportunities and I'm taking them. (After waiting a few seconds, he speaks again) Though it seems like Gwen knows too much, so perhaps it's time I fulfilled my promise to Courtney.

* * *

Near the front of the bus, Courtney was in a conversation with Danny. However, due to the proximity of Izzy, she was technically in the conversation as well. "So Danny," Courtney began to ask, "Who did you end up voting for yesterday? I'm having trouble trying to make sense of it myself."

The honorable teen looked at Courtney as if she had two heads and said, "Um, I didn't vote yesterday. I was in one of the winning teams."

Courtney looked shocked as her mouth hung open and she said, "W-What! Then why did you antagonize Nicholas after Jessie got eliminated?"

"Nicholas was being a dick to me earlier that day and didn't respect my wishes so I figured I would just add a little insult to injury. Why are you so shocked," Danny questioned with an eyebrow raised.

Courtney was about to respond when all of a sudden, Izzy popped up between them and said, "Silly Danny! Everybody knows that looking like a douche is basically a way of saying you're a bad guy! Like Heather in season one or my evil ex Justin in season two!"

Danny seemed unfazed by Izzy's statement, but Courtney curiously asked, "Did you really date Justin?"

"Yup! Well, if a date involves chainsaws, confetti, and an overweight clown, then yes I dated him! But only once, he was a jerk," the crazy redhead excitedly replied.

"Right," Courtney said with a slight tone of disbelief.

"Back to what Izzy initially said, I wouldn't know much of how everyone acted toward the obnoxious jerks because I didn't watch much of the show to begin with," Danny said with a shrug.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Danny: What can I say? Nicholas was rude to me yesterday so I figured I would be rude to him back. It's the Golden Rule, right? Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Courtney: I want to help Danny before he goes too far. I know what he's going through. I've done things I'm not really proud of, mostly due to what he did to me. (She sighs and looks down for a few seconds before she looks back up) Let's just say that I may have influenced who made it in this season.

* * *

Noah was also pretending to be asleep, but he was in hearing distance of Mikey, Geoff, Bridgette, and Megan. Given where their conversation had been going, he would've rather been sleeping for real. At one point though, he became interested in the conversation.

"So how're you holding up Mikey," Bridgette asked the gamer.

Mikey shrugged and said, "Well, I've been better but at least I'm not in any real pain."

"I can't believe Izzy would do something like that though," Megan said.

Mikey cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see Izzy was currently talking with Courtney and Danny before he said, "Yeah, to be honest, I'm a little scared of Izzy right now, what with how she keeps injuring me."

Noah mentally made a note of this, as he knew that this could be used to get Izzy out later on in the game.

"I wonder if that was like, how she was raised dude," Geoff thought out loud.

"What, she was raised to cause others pain," Megan asked.

Geoff shook his head and replied, "Nah, I meant if she was just raised to be overly aggressive."

"I suppose it is a possibility," Bridgette mused, "I mean, I never really knew her too well, but she did have a few moments where she was aggressive."

"Well, at least you're okay Mikey. It would be a shame if you were eliminated because of an injury," Megan said, smiling at the gamer.

Mikey blushed very slightly at Megan's compliment, as he was also remembering the events of the night before, before replying, "Y-yeah, I wouldn't want to lose this competition due to a technicality. That would suck."

"Well said dude," Geoff cheered.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Megan: Was it just me, or was Mikey more nervous than normal? Could he have been awake when I left last night? Oh, I really hope he doesn't find that weird.

Noah: I should enlist Mikey's help when it comes time to eliminate Izzy. He said he was slightly scared of her, which would be a good enough reason to get his vote. And to be honest, despite being friends with her, she can scare me too from time to time.

* * *

The bus pulled up to the school and the students exited the vehicle. An interesting thing that many of the students noted was the fact that Chef Hatchet was chuckling in his driver's seat. The contestants were confused about the chuckling until they arrived at the front entrance, where Chris was standing. Something about him was different however.

"Um Chris? You look different," Courtney stated nervously, hoping the host would not take that as an insult.

Chris rolled his eyes and nodded, saying, "Yes I know, I have way too much hair gel in my hair today. There was an incident this morning when preparing for the challenge."

Danny shook his head and said, "Not your hair you fool, your eyebrows."

"What about my eyebrows," Chris asked curiously.

"Um, they aren't there dude. They kinda look like they were burned off," Geoff said pointing at Chris' nonexistent eyebrows.

Feeling his forehead, Chris said, "Hmm. I guess they were burned off."

"And you aren't upset or anything," Jennifer cautiously asked.

Chris shrugged and said, "Why would I? They're just eyebrows. Anyways, onto today's challenge! Who remembers the challenge from TDI when Beth was eliminated?"

Courtney's hand shot up and the CIT said, "It was the cooking challenge. I remember because that was right before the Killer Bass started to lose again."

Chris grinned and said, "Right you are Courtney! The reason I'm asking you this is because today's challenge is the exact same challenge!" Many contestants groaned due to Chris' lack of originality.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: Can Chris be any more unoriginal? Honestly, first he makes us do the dodgeball challenge again and then he rips off Mario Kart and now this? I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't even come up with the challenges. An intern probably does.

* * *

Chris smiled and said, "Come on now, today's challenge won't be so tough! You will be split into two teams and each team has to make a three course meal. There must be an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. Also, there will be three judges! Myself, Chef Hatchet and Owen will taste your dishes and we will determine the winner. Now to come up with the teams."

"You mean to tell me," Noah said, annoyed, "That you haven't even come up with the teams yet?"

Chris tapped his chin in thought as he said, "Not entirely. But I have an idea now. Geoff, Bridgette and Jennifer, you are on one team. Gwen, Danny and Izzy, you three are on the other team."

As the six teens stood in their designated groups, Chris tapped his chin in thought.

Mikey asked Joseph, who was standing behind the gamer, "How do you think Chris is basing the teams?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," Joseph replied with a shrug.

Chris nodded to himself and said, "All right, I want Mikey, Megan and Joseph on Geoff's team. Courtney, Cody and Nicholas can be on Gwen's team. Hmm. Let's put Emily on Geoff's team and Noah on Gwen's team. That seems about right."

Geoff raised his hand and said, "Hey Chris dude? Does this mean Gwen and I are team captains?"

"Only if your team is okay with that," Chris replied with a shrug, "Geoff, you and your team gets the culinary arts kitchen. Gwen, your team gets the cafeteria's kitchen. We need the meal no later than 1. That gives you all a good four hours. Each kitchen has their own supplies but if you need anything that your kitchen does not have, there is a supply closet halfway between the two kitchens that we have put extra supplies in. Oh, and the meals are to be served to us in the gym, because the producer said it wasn't fair if we ate in the cafeteria. So with that, get going!"

When Chris dismissed the contestants, they took off running. He pulled out a small hand mirror and said, "I should see if the makeup department can do anything about my lack of eyebrows."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Hmm. This appears to have thrown a wrench into my plans. I was going to target Gwen tonight, but since I am not on her team, it appears I may have to leave that duty to Courtney.

Nicholas: Yeah, I'm pretty sure Chris put me on the same team as Danny just to annoy me. But hey, if we lose I know who I'm voting for hands down.

Geoff: Sweet, another cooking challenge! I wonder if my team will let me be captain again?

* * *

Team One (Geoff, Bridgette, Jennifer, Mikey, Megan, Joseph, Emily)

Geoff, Bridgette and Emily looked at the contents of the fridge while the other members of the team inspected the cabinets and the cooking implements. After five minutes of investigating the team met at a pair of tables in the classroom section of the room.

"So," Geoff casually started the conversation, "Does anyone have any idea what we should do for an idea?"

Joseph stood and said, "I don't have a theme, but I believe we should not repeat an Italian theme. Even though Chris has the originality of a rock, he may not appreciate it if we are unoriginal."

"I have to agree with Joseph. Originality would be best," Bridgette commented.

A short silence followed this before Emily said, "Well, what if we made a Chinese or Japanese themed meal? That shouldn't be too difficult. We can use rice for an appetizer, some sushi for the entrée and fortune cookies for a dessert."

Jennifer nodded and said, "Yeah that does sound like a good idea. I think we should do it."

Some members of the group prepared to get up until a voice shouted out, "Objection!" Jennifer and Emily looked surprised as Mikey got up.

"I have a better idea," the gamer said, "We should make Mexican food. Make loaded nachos for the appetizer, tacos and burritos for the entrée, and churros for the dessert."

Geoff, Megan and Joseph quickly agreed with the plan and once Bridgette was assured that she would not have to eat anything, she agreed as well.

"Well Mikey, it seems like your idea won. Are you going to be head chef," Joseph asked.

The gamer shook his head and turned to Geoff before asking, "Actually, I was wondering if Geoff would like that honor. He did a great job of it on Total Drama Island so why not again?"

"I'm honored dude. I accept! Let's figure out who will make what. Mikey, I want you and Megan on nacho duty. I'll work on the tacos with Joseph and Emily. Bridgette and Jennifer can make the churros. Is that okay," Geoff said as the captain of the team.

"I'm fine with it," Megan said.

Joseph nodded and said, "Whatever works for you is fine, Captain."

"Sounds like a plan Geoff," Jennifer confirmed.

Geoff smiled and said, "All right then. Let's get to work!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Geoff: Awesome! I get to totally lead a team again dude! I'm confident that we can win this challenge today too! I mean, everybody in our team seems to get along.

Mikey: So I wonder what Chris was basing the teams off of. Nothing seems to stick out other than the fact that all the people with blond hair are on our team and all the people with black or red hair are on the other team. But Chris wouldn't base the teams off of something silly like that, right?

Jennifer: This seems like it's gonna be really fun! The challenge isn't too tough and I've done some baking before, so making the churros should be a snap.

* * *

Team Two (Gwen, Danny, Izzy, Courtney, Nicholas, Cody, Noah)

To say that team two was a mess would be an understatement. Gwen and Courtney were fighting over everything, Danny and Nicholas were staring each other down, Cody was trying to get the girls to stop fighting, Noah was sitting around reading cookbooks, and Izzy was being Izzy. Needless to say, everything was not well.

"Gwen, I don't care what it was that Chris had said, you aren't going to be the captain," Courtney stated adamantly.

Gwen raised an eyebrow and said, "Why? Afraid I'm going to steal Duncan from you if I'm leader?"

Courtney turned around in a huff and said, "No, it's because I'm a CIT and I have leadership experience!"

"In case you forgot, I was captain of my team back on Total Drama Action," Gwen replied angrily due to Courtney's attitude.

"And that went so well for you. I seem to recall you being the first person eliminated from your team," the CIT replied with a smug tone in her voice.

The gothic teen stomped her foot and said, "How many times do I have to tell you? That wasn't my fault! That was all Justin's fault!"

"Girls, girls, please stop fighting. This isn't getting us anywhere," Cody tried to reason with Gwen and Courtney.

Courtney rolled her eyes and said, "Cody, I don't know why you constantly stand up for Gwen, but it's obvious she doesn't like you, so give it up."

Cody looked shocked and said, "Wait, what?"

Gwen shook her head and said, "He's got a girlfriend, genius. Or were you too busy trying to get rid of me that you were oblivious to the world around you?"

"I just wanted you two to stop fighting," the tech geek muttered.

From a short distance away, Danny chuckled and said, "Courtney can be so foolish at times."

"Shut up," Nicholas growled.

Danny turned and raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh look, it's Mr. I-don't-give-a-damn-about-other-people's-beliefs. What do you want from me now?"

Nicholas shook his balled-up fists in anger as he said, "I know you got rid of Jessie you douche! Admit it now and maybe I can apologize for my behavior."

"Admit what, may I ask," Danny casually asked.

"Admit that you were responsible for Jessie's elimination," the mechanic accused.

The honorable warrior chuckled as he said, "This is funny. Ok, I'll humor you. Assuming I was behind Jessie's elimination, which I'm not, how do you propose I was able to vote her off? I wasn't up for elimination yesterday, so how could I have been behind it?"

"It's quite simple, actually. You persuaded other people who could have voted to vote for her! That's how you were able to eliminate her without voting yourself," Nicholas stated, proud at his counter-argument.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose as he said, "Okay, may I remind you that I am here to play with honor? I want nothing of the secret alliances and backstabbing this show is known for."

Nicholas simply glared at the warrior teen for a moment before turning away from him and crossing his arms. Before he walked away, he said, "Look, you can deny it all you like, but I can't think of anyone else who would deliberately try to get rid of Jessie." As Nicholas walked away, Danny could only shake his head.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Danny: Nicholas is a classic example of someone who is blinded by anger. He truly believes that I was the one responsible for eliminating his girlfriend. Due to his anger he neglects to take into account that it could have just been dumb luck. Though I find it strange how people in relationships are eliminated back to back.

* * *

After the assorted arguing or glaring occurred for a few more minutes, Izzy took two frying pans and started banging them against each other, causing a terrible racket that caused everyone to stop what they were doing.

From the back of the room, Noah said, "Thank you Izzy. I needed to get everyone to shut up for a moment."

"Noah? You put Izzy up to this? What the hell were you thinking," Courtney angrily shouted.

Noah pointed at a clock and said, "Well, if you haven't noticed, your pointless arguing has taken up nearly an entire half hour of our time to cook. If we don't start now we may be doomed. Luckily I have been looking through the dusty cookbooks in this excuse for a kitchen and have come up with what I believe is an appropriate theme. The theme I have determined is foods from around the world."

Many stood in disbelief for a moment before Gwen said, "And what makes you think that would work?"

"Look around you Gwen. Everyone on this team, aside from Nicholas and Danny, will be on Total Drama World Tour. Since we will be flying around the world next season, we should give Chris foods from around the world," Noah stated as he smirked.

"You know, that might just work. Out of curiosity, what did you have in mind," Cody asked.

Noah passed a cookbook to the group and said, "First, I am adamant about making cheeseburgers for the entrée."

Danny raised an eyebrow and said, "Um, not to rain on your parade Noah, but somebody can get burgers anywhere."

"Ah, but the first hamburger sandwich was made in America. On top of that, this isn't just a burger, it's a cheeseburger. You see, it's the added dairy that makes it truly American," Noah countered.

"Makes sense to me. What else did you come up with," Danny replied as he shrugged.

Noah passed another cookbook around and said, "For the dessert, I believe we should make gelato, which is essentially the Italian version of ice cream. This is going to be the item that will take the longest to make."

Gwen looked over the steps on how to make gelato and she said, "I don't know, it seems kind of tough."

"But Gwen, that's all part of the fun," Izzy protested as she stood by a machine used to make ice cream.

Noah raised an eyebrow as he passed around one final cookbook, commenting, "Right. Anyways, the appetizer I was thinking should either be French or from Asia. I'm leaning more toward Asian cuisine because of the things we could do with rice."

"If you wish, we could make pork dumplings or something. Back home I work in a Chinese restaurant so I know how to prepare them," Danny offered.

The know-it-all nodded and said, "You know, that might just work. Well, we've wasted enough time. Let's get going!"

"Wait, who made you captain," Courtney asked, confused as to why she wasn't being offered the job.

"As I just said, we've wasted enough time. I formulated a plan as well as groups to make each food. Danny and Cody, you two work on the dumplings. Courtney and I will cook the burgers. That leaves Gwen, Nicholas and Izzy to make the gelato. Any objections," Noah proposed. When nobody spoke up, he said, "Well, don't just stand there! Let's get some work done!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: I split up the teams the way I did for one reason, and that was to prevent any more time being lost by arguing. By keeping the feuding contestants separate, we may actually get some work done.

Courtney: I may not be happy that Noah took the leadership that should be mine, but I can't complain. He actually seemed like he was serious about getting this work done.

* * *

Team One, Nacho group (Mikey and Megan)

When their team split up into groups, Mikey was making a list of ingredients and listing them to Megan who was gathering them from the fridge. So far they had salsa, a block of cheese, some beef and a couple of jalapenos.

"Okay, so all we need from that supply closet is tortilla chips. I'm surprised we had as many supplies here as we did," Mikey commented.

Megan walked over and asked, "So why do we need salsa?"

The gamer nodded and said, "I figured we could put it on the side in case anybody wanted to have some salsa with their chips."

"Oh okay. That's a good idea. Say, do you want me to get the chips," Megan responded.

Mikey looked up from the list and said, "I was actually going to suggest we both go down to get them. I had an idea for which chips to use, but I want input from you."

Megan blinked in surprise and she replied, "Okay. Sure, let's go."

Mikey headed to the door and called out, "Geoff, Megan and I will be back soon."

"All right dude," the party boy called out to his gamer friend.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Well, with any luck I can talk to her alone. It's now or never. It's time I asked Megan out.

* * *

Team Two, Burger group (Noah, Courtney)

Noah had retrieved ground beef and American cheese from the fridge (he insisted they use American cheese, to keep with the American burger theme) while Courtney got buns and generic burger toppings, like lettuce, tomato and onion.

At one point, the CIT attempted to try and start a conversation, "I was kind of surprised when you said we would be working together Noah. I figured you would want to try to avoid suspicion by having the two of us in different groups."

Noah shrugged and said, "I did it simply to try to keep us from tearing each other's heads off. I needed to keep you and Gwen separate as well as Nicholas and Danny. I also had Cody be on a different team for a personal reason."

"Why? I thought Cody was your friend," Courtney asked as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Believe me, he is my friend, but I can't work together with him too often, lest people start to think otherwise," Noah replied.

Courtney was confused for a moment until it dawned on her, "I understand. You're still sensitive about people thinking you're gay, aren't you? I'm certain not everyone thinks that."

Noah cynically replied, "When all eight of your siblings and 90 percent of the students and teachers at your school seem to think so, it's not hard to assume that most people think the same way."

Courtney looked sympathetically at Noah for a moment before directing her attention to the task at hand.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Courtney: I never knew Noah had it so rough. But he needs to stop listening to everybody else and instead listen to himself. Sure, people thought that I was going to become a totally different person when I started dating Duncan, but I proved them wrong.

* * *

Team One, Churro group (Bridgette, Jennifer)

The two blond-haired girls had consulted a cookbook and learned that churros were essentially nothing more than fried dough rolled into sticks and coated with a layer of cinnamon. With this in mind they got to work making a dozen or two of the Mexican dessert.

"So how are you holding up without Trent," Bridgette asked, attempting to start a conversation, "I mean, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

Jennifer shook her head and said, "No, no. It's fine. I think it helps if I talk about him. To be honest, I miss him. I wish he were still in the contest. But I know that I'll see him again when I get voted off, so it's not the end of the world. Plus, I know that almost everybody is going to be eliminated eventually."

The surfer nodded and replied, "Well said. Now that I think about it, it is true that eventually, everybody but two will be eliminated. But hey, so far so good, right?"

"That's true. I think everybody would like to go all the way to the end though," the performing artist chuckled.

Bridgette giggled and said, "I can't argue with that."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: You know, even though I never really talked to Jennifer before today, I have to admit, she's a great person. We work really well together too. Who knows, maybe the two of us will go all the way to the end! (She thinks for a few seconds.) Nah, as much as I want to believe otherwise, I'll probably get eliminated later on.

* * *

Team One, Nacho group (Mikey, Megan)

The two teens made their way to the supply closet that Chris used to store the remainder of the supplies. Upon opening the door, they discovered nobody else was in the room. They entered the large supply room and the door swung shut.

Mikey appeared to be deep in thought as he walked alongside Megan to where chips could be looked at a bag of chips when Mikey suddenly asked, "Hey Megan? Can I ask you something?"

"Um sure. What is it, Mikey," the nice girl replied.

The gamer sighed and said, "Well, last night I woke up after feeling what almost felt like somebody kissing me. As I opened my eyes, I saw you exiting the room. I have no idea how long it took me to open my eyes, but I figured I would ask you if you knew what happened."

Megan wrung her hands as she looked away and said, "Well, I was the one who kissed you. I thought you were asleep and everything so I figured it would be safe."

Mikey didn't respond as he was deep in thought but Megan interpreted it a different way. She walked away and mumbled to herself, "I knew that was a bad idea. Why did I go through with it?"

After a minute or two she felt somebody tap her shoulder and she turned around to find herself face-to-face with a smiling Mikey. The gamer looked into the nice girl's eyes and they found themselves leaning in to kiss.

Neither backed out of the motion and they soon found their lips touching. After a sweet, tender kiss, Mikey backed off and said, "Megan, I've been mulling this over in my mind for a while now and was wondering, would you like to go out with me?"

"Yes! Of course I would," Megan replied as she hugged the gamer. The two looked into each other's eyes and they began to kiss again.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: (He is staring off into space with a distracted look on his face. After a minute he notices the camera.) Hmm? Oh, don't mind me. (He continues to stare off into space.)

Megan: I'm so happy Mikey asked me out! Now I don't have to worry about that kiss being awkward anymore! (She pauses for a few seconds.) In case anyone was wondering, Mikey is the person I was talking about when I told Bridgette I had a crush on one of the guys here.

* * *

Team Two, Dumpling group (Danny, Cody)

The two teens were hard at work, Danny preparing the meat to go into the dumplings and Cody cutting the exterior of the dumplings. After cutting a piece the appropriate size, Cody would hand the dough-like exterior to Danny, who would put the meat inside and seal the appetizer.

At one point, Cody asked, "Are you sure you don't need any help? I may not have made dumplings before but it seems like it would make things easier for you."

"Don't worry about it Cody. And the only reason why I don't have you helping me is because you haven't made dumplings before. This is something that requires practice," Danny replied with a shrug.

"There must be something I can do to make things easier for you," the tech geek reasoned.

The honorable teen thought for a moment before saying, "Well, you could do something for me if you wanted to. You see how the meat is in that conveyor belt-like contraption."

Cody looked to see where his teammate was pointing and said, "Yeah, I see it."

"Good. The meat will get cooked to perfection so long as it travels all the way down the line. So if you want to help me, you could get the meat when it reaches the end of the conveyor belt. In addition, make sure the machine doesn't jam," Danny said as he pointed at the machine.

"You can count on me," Cody said as he headed over to the machine. It was silent for a minute before Cody asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why were you being a jerk to Nicholas yesterday?"

Danny glanced over to Cody and said, "Well, my reason is slightly selfish, but yesterday he wanted to do what he wanted, not taking my beliefs into account, and that made me upset."

"Oh," Cody said quietly as he thought over the conflict at hand.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: I don't quite know about the conflict between Danny and Nicholas. I mean, Danny did have the right to be mad, but I don't think he went about resolving it the right way. At, least, that's how I look at it.

* * *

Team One, Taco group (Geoff, Joseph, Emily)

Geoff was happily cooking up some meat and humming a tune to himself. Emily smiled at Geoff's happy antics and turned to Joseph, who was helping her cut various toppings, like lettuce, tomato and cheese.

The dancer asked, "Geoff's enjoying himself, don't you think?"

"I suppose he is," Joseph commented, "I think it has to do with the fact that he gets to lead the team and he may be thinking about how well it went the last time he led a team in a challenge like this." After a moment of thinking, the overachiever chuckled, "Owen was on the other team last time however, and there's no real handicap on the other team. Well, there might be one."

Emily raised an eyebrow and asked, "There is? What is it?"

"Well, keep in mind who is on the team. Gwen and Courtney are at odds, mostly due to Courtney. On top of that, there's Nicholas and Danny, who have started feuding as of yesterday," Joseph pointed out.

"Oh, I see. So wait, why are you always around Courtney," Emily asked, confused.

Joseph shrugged and said, "Well, I wanted to solve mysteries surrounding the strange eliminations. I figured getting close to somebody who is influential may lead me to who is planning these eliminations."

Emily nodded and said, "That makes sense."

"What makes sense dudes," Geoff asked, entering the conversation.

"Nothing important. We were just talking about the other team," Joseph commented while shrugging.

Geoff blinked and said, "Oh well okay. So how goes those toppings?"

Emily giggled and said, "We cut them all up, no problem. Is the meat we're going to use gonna be ready?"

"Ch'yeah! It's almost done cooking. I'm gonna look over it until it's done. Can one of you two go and get the taco shells," Geoff asked.

Emily nodded and said, "I'll do it! I'll get tortillas and crunchy taco shells."

The party dude smiled and said, "That's awesome! We're gonna, like, totally ace this challenge!"

As the party dude cheered as he headed back to his station and the dancer went to get taco shells, Joseph chuckled to himself.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: All I need to do to avoid suspicion is pretend like I'm one of the good guys. If I claim to be investigating the person behind the strange eliminations, people will believe me. That way, I can keep stirring up trouble and nobody will be the wiser.

Geoff: I totally think we have a shot of winning this! We got a great theme, everybody gets along, what more could we need?

* * *

Team Two, Gelato group (Gwen, Izzy, Nicholas)

Gwen sighed and face-palmed as Izzy brought back another group of ingredients she wanted to add to, as she put it, "E-Scope's Super Gelato Surprise." Personally, she wanted to make something simple, since preparing gelato was difficult enough without mixing in twenty-three other ingredients and counting.

"Izzy," Gwen called out as the crazy redhead prepared to get more ingredients, "Hold on a second. Don't you think all this is a little much?"

Izzy shook her head and said, "Nope! I'm used to making things with tons of ingredients in them."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and said, "While that may or may not be true, the fact of the matter is I don't cook much at all and I'm guessing that Gwen doesn't either."

"No, I cook things at home. I've just never made ice cream or anything remotely similar to it," Gwen replied with a shrug.

"Same thing. Point is, you can't whatever you want to make for this. We have to work as a team," the mechanic said with a shrug.

Gwen smirked and said, "Nice motivating words."

Izzy sighed and said, "Okay, Izzy will stop getting ingredients for the gelato. But can we at least make a flavor Izzy wants to make?"

Nicholas and Gwen looked at each other before the goth girl said, "As long as we have time after making the first batch, I don't see why not."

Nicholas tapped his chin and commented, "So what type of flavor should we make?"

"Isn't it obvious," Izzy asked grinning as she held something behind her back.

"No, not really," Nicholas replied, "If it was we would have guessed it."

Izzy shook her head and pulled some chocolate out from behind her back and said, "Owen's one of the judges remember? If we make something with chocolate, we should win hands down!"

Gwen thought back and said, "That's right, he was lured to the finish line of the final challenge during TDI with chocolate brownies."

"Exactly! And if I know my Owen, which I do, he loves chocolate," Izzy shouted excitedly, causing some members of the other team to look over.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: Izzy can be pretty clever when she comes up with a normal idea, as infrequent as those are. Chocolate would be a good step in helping us win, seeing how much Owen loves chocolates.

Nicholas: I figured Izzy was just some random person who may have escaped an insane asylum. But after listening to her explain something that made sense, it might be possible that she is a genius that escaped from an insane asylum. (He pauses and thinks for a few seconds). Wow, looking back just now, I was really harsh on Izzy. That doesn't mean she isn't crazy though.

* * *

After several hours of preparing, cooking, clamoring, and the burning of a few fingers, the time to serve the meals had arrived. Each team had three serving carts, with which they loaded up their food and headed for the gymnasium. When they arrived, the teens saw that a table had been set up and Chris, Chef Hatchet and Owen were all sitting down, some being more patient than others.

When Chris noticed everybody was present, he stood up and said, "Okay guys. Each team will serve their dishes to us one course at a time. We will need both of the dishes at once because we will individually decide whose was better and award that team a point. That means that during each round, each team can earn three points total. Whichever team gets five or more points will win, because there will be no way for the either team to win. The losing team will be sent to elimination where a special twist will occur."

"What do you mean, special twist," Geoff asked, confused.

"I'm glad you asked Geoff! You see, tonight, everybody will be voting for somebody on the losing team," Chris said and then waited for suspense.

The suspense was interrupted however, by Izzy, who asked, "Is that all?"

Chris shook his head and smiled and said, "Nope! You see, everybody is voting because the two people with the most votes will be eliminated!"

"Wait a second! Didn't you say that only one person would be eliminated per day but now you're eliminating two," Gwen asked.

"Yeah, so," Chris asked, loving the confusion supplied by the teens.

Mikey spoke up, "That's against the rules, isn't it?"

Chris smiled and said, "Screw the rules, I have money! And I'm the host!"

From the table, Owen asked, "So, can we eat now?"

"Yes! Thanks for changing the subject Owen! It's time to eat," Chris announced.

At this point both teams laid their dome-covered dishes out in front of the three judges. Team One's domes were gold while Team Two's domes were silver. Once all the domes were laid out, they were opened revealing the loaded nachos and dumplings to the judges.

"Wow, I have to say, this looks pretty good," Chris said examining the meals, "What do you two think?"

Sounds of eating were heard as Chris looked at Owen, who was holding a chip bit in half in his hand. "Hee hee, sorry. It all just looked so good, I had to eat it," the large teen cried out.

Chris looked at his intern for a second before saying, "Well put Owen. Let's eat!"

It was quiet for a few minutes as Chris, Chef Hatchet and Owen ate their nachos and dumplings. Once the three judges were finished eating, Chris looked at the two teams and said, "Well, I think it's time we passed judgment on the appetizers. Owen would you like to go first?"

The fat teen nodded and said, "Well, I thought both dishes were delicious but the nachos just had so many flavors. I have to give my point to Team One."

"Well, like Tubby here, I noticed the multiple flavors in the nachos too," Chef said, giving his opinion, "But to me, there were too many flavors in the nachos. The dumplings on the other hand, were cooked perfectly and have a nice, bold taste. My point goes to Team Two."

Chris nodded and said, "Well, I have to agree with Chef and Owen. Both dishes were delicious, but I happened to like the multiple flavors of the nachos just a little bit more than the dumplings." Team One cheered when they learned they had a slight lead over Team Two.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey and Megan – Mikey: I'm surprised Chris and Owen liked the nachos as much as they did.

Megan: Why is that?

Mikey: I figured that the nachos were going to be our weakest dish.

Megan: Oh, don't downplay your ideas. They were good.

Mikey: I guess they were.

Danny: Am I annoyed that my dish lost? Not really. It was merely luck of the draw that the other team won more points. Nothing to worry about.

* * *

Chris clapped his hands and said, "Onto the next dish!" Geoff and Noah laid the platters out in front of the three judges.

Once all was ready, Geoff lifted the domes off of his trays and said, "Well, enjoy dude."

"Hopefully you like my dish better than his," Noah remarked as he pulled the covers off of his trays.

Chris looked at the tacos and cheeseburger in front of him and said, "Tacos huh? It seems a little similar to the nachos but whatever. Let's eat!"

The three judges took to eating the two main dishes in front of them. It took about ten or so minutes for the judges to eat the tacos and cheeseburger, and the five teens who prepared the food anxiously awaited the judgment that was to be passed on to them.

After the three taste testers were done sampling the food, Chris grinned and said, "Well Owen? What did you think?"

Owen licked his lips and said, "Well, the tacos were good, but kinda crunchy, and they tasted similar to the nachos. But the burger, it was delicious! It was grilled perfectly and the toppings tasted so good! I don't even like vegetables on burgers! So, um yeah, the burger was better. Noah gets a point for his team."

"I still have to agree with Owen here. Burger was perfect. Tacos tasted like the nachos I just had. I'm giving my point to Team Two," Chef grumbled as he sat down.

Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Well, while I did happen to love the burger, I personally thought the tacos were better. They had a certain texture to them that I happened to love. So my point goes to Team One, meaning the score is tied going into the final course!" The teams both nodded and prepared their desserts, hoping theirs would win over two of the tree judges.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Geoff: (His hat is tipped down over his face). Well that was kind of depressing dudes. I thought we were doing good. Well, hopefully Bridge and Jennifer manage to pull through for us. I don't know if there is anyone on our team who I would vote for if we lost.

Emily: I'm kind of conflicted. I want my team to win but at the same time, I want Cody's team to win so he isn't at risk to be eliminated. There's really no positive way out of this situation, is there.

Courtney: As weird as it is for me to say this, I'm kind of hoping my team loses. I actually like most of the people on the other team, and even those that I'm not friendly with I can tolerate. My team on the other hand, let's just say there are some people who get on my nerves.

Chris: (The host chuckles). When I find out who it was that planned the Mexican theme, I'm going to have to congratulate them. I actually love Mexican food.

Chef Hatchet: (The cook looks happy) Pretty boy said if I draw this challenge out as long as possible by making the final round a tie, Chris said he would give me one of my overdue paychecks! Maybe I can finally afford something to eat besides instant noodles in the time between seasons.

* * *

As the teams prepared their desserts, tension was in the air. The contestants knew that this last round could make or break them. As the five teens that prepared desserts got ready, their teammates offered them words of encouragement.

"Good luck babe," Geoff told Bridgette as he gave her a small kiss.

Mikey placed a hand on Jennifer's shoulder and said, "Good luck."

Danny looked at Nicholas and said, "Don't screw this up."

"Why you-," Nicholas began to say as Gwen put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head, silently telling the mechanic it wasn't worth it. Courtney rolled her eyes at the attempts the gothic teen made to keep the team unified.

Finally, the time had come and the lids were removed from the serving platters revealing the churros and the gelato. Chris, Chef Hatchet and Owen all got ready to dig into the sweet end of the challenge. Patience wore thin for one of them and soon, Owen was busy eating the desserts that he was given. Chris and Chef took this as a sign to begin eating and so they started devouring the cinnamon-covered dough and the rich, frozen treat.

Roughly five minutes later, the three were done. Owen let out a satisfied belch and said, "Wow, that was delicious!"

"I'll say Owen," Chris replied. After a moment of silence Owen farted, prompting the host to say, "Owen! Dude, what the hell?"

"Sorry Chris, but cinnamon gives me gas," the happy-go-lucky teen replied, smiling sheepishly.

Chris face-palmed and said, "Whatever Owen. Make your decision on which team won quickly so you can be dismissed for the day." Under his breath the host muttered, "I don't need you stinking up the place."

Owen smiled and said, "Well, I liked both desserts, but I have to give the edge to Izzy's team and it's not just because Izzy is on it. The gelato was so creamy and awesome. And while the churros were delicious, they gave me gas, so yeah." The big guy got up to leave and he waved bye, saying, "See ya guys! I'll probably see you soon!"

As the winner of Total Drama Island left the gymnasium, Chef Hatchet stood up. The tough chef cleared his throat and said, "Well, after much consideration, I have decided that while the gelato was really good, I think the better dessert was the churros. Just the way that they were rolled and sprinkled with cinnamon was fantastic. Point to Team One."

Chris chuckled and said, "Well, it looks like everything is up to me now, isn't it? Each team has four points so whichever dessert I liked more will give the team that made it the win. Yes, both desserts were delicious and you are all good cooks. However a decision has to be made and I have decided that the better dessert is the churros. I like fried food more than frozen food. On top of that, the gelato was boring vanilla. If it had been at least chocolate, it would have done better. So congratulations Team One. You guys win. Team Two, you have one hour before the elimination, where two of you will be going home. See you guys then!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: Wow, I kinda blew that, didn't I? Izzy insisted on making something complex and if we had, we may have won. That doesn't matter now. Courtney has got to go before she drives me insane.

Bridgette: I'm surprised the churros did so well. I mean, it's not really complicated. It's just fried dough. But a win is a win, I suppose. I just hope this elimination goes by without any major drama.

* * *

Very shortly after the challenge ended, Gwen stopped Mikey and Megan in a hallway. After pulling them to the side, Gwen said, "Guys, I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure, what is it," Mikey asked.

"I need you two to vote for Courtney. She's been gunning for me for a while now and I think I might be going home tonight. So if I'm going down, she's going to go down with me," Gwen explained.

Megan looked to the side as if she was nervous and Mikey scratched the back of his head. Gwen caught on to this and asked, "What? You two aren't going to help me?"

"No, that's not it at all! We're just confused," Megan said as she turned back to face the goth girl.

"Yeah," Mikey added, "You see, Nicholas asked us right after the challenge ended to vote for Danny. He wanted to avenge his girlfriend."

Gwen sighed and asked the gamer and nice girl, "Well, can you two at least consider voting for Courtney?"

Megan nodded and said, "Of course! We haven't decided completely yet."

Gwen managed to smile very slightly as she said, "Thanks."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Gwen: Yeah, I'm pessimistic today, but with fourteen votes to draw upon, Courtney could easily get enough people to vote for me. My only hope is a three way tie, because the two people with the highest votes get eliminated, according to Chris. Let's hope my endeavors work out.

Mikey: I'm very confused, honestly. Gwen was one of my first friends but Nicholas is doing what he can to avenge his girlfriend, which I find admirable. I just hope whatever decision I make, it's the right one.

* * *

In another part of the school, Joseph confronted one of the people on the winning team. "Oh, hey Joseph, what's up," the person asked.

Joseph smiled and said, "Oh, I just wanted to say a few things. First of all, I wanted to celebrate our victory earlier. We couldn't have won without your hard work."

The person laughed a little and said, "We wouldn't have won if it wasn't for Mikey's idea and for our teamwork."

"Yes, well my other piece of business is I heard something you might like to know about," Joseph said as he leaned close to the person's ear and whispered something.

After Joseph was done, a wave of emotions swept over the person's face: first surprise, then sadness and finally anger. "How dare she? I can't believe she would lie about something like this," the person angrily shouted.

The overachiever assured the mystery person, "Relax. Just vote for her and everything else should fit into place. Just remember, she can't know I'm on to her." As the mystery person left to cast her vote, Joseph walked away, chuckling darkly.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: It seems quite simple. I simply need to bend the truth a little and a major threat is gone. And all I need to do to get rid of my suspicion is to keep pretending like I'm trying to learn the truth. Nobody would suspect the "detective" as the person pulling the strings.

* * *

In yet another part of the school, Nicholas was talking to Geoff and Bridgette. "So that's why I would like your assistance in voting for Danny. I just want to avenge the elimination of my girlfriend," Nicholas finished explaining to the couple.

Geoff seemed to have trouble debating the idea, but Bridgette's eyes lit up at his story. The surfer smiled and said, "I think I'll vote for Danny."

Nicholas and Geoff both sputtered, "Y-you will?"

"Yeah. I don't want to vote for either Gwen or Courtney, since they're both my friends and you're the only other person to ask me about voting, so why not," Bridgette said as she smiled.

Geoff scratched his head under his hat for a few seconds before he said, "Yeah, okay. I guess I can vote for Danny."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: I know Gwen and Courtney aren't going to be happy with my decision, but I can't pick a side. I would much rather be on the sidelines so I don't have to feel like I'm betraying one of my friends. So I guess I'll vote for Danny.

Courtney: The time has come for me to get rid of Gwen. She won't be getting any farther and by default, she won't impress Duncan any more. I won't let her steal my boyfriend from me.

Gwen: Well, I talked to a few people and I think I have enough people to get rid of Courtney alongside myself. Ideally, it'll be Courtney and Danny, but I'll be happy so long as Courtney doesn't do better than I do.

* * *

As the students filed into the auditorium for the elimination, Chris was talking with Chef at his podium. Once all of the contestants were assembled, Chris cleared his throat and said, "Well, who's ready for today's double elimination?"

Courtney glared at Gwen, who sent a glare right back. Nicholas could've bore holes into the back of Danny's head with his intense glare. A couple other people were casting glares at other people for one reason or another.

Chris chuckled and said, "It looks like there's some tension abound. That's great for ratings. Now, as you know, I have only five passes. The two people who do not receive a pass will have to immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers. And they will not be able to come back ever! The following students have received hall passes: Cody, Noah and Izzy!"

The three Total Drama veterans claimed their passes and joined the seven immune contestants. "Next up with the fewest votes is Nicholas," Chris announced as the mechanic walked forward to claim his safety item.

When Nicholas sat down with the immune contestants, Chris said, "Well, it looks like at least one rivalry will end tonight. But the question is which person will stay? Which one of you got the fewest votes? Let me tell you. The final hall pass of the night goes to…"

…

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"Courtney!"

The CIT simply smirked as she walked forward and claimed her hall pass. She smiled and said in a smug tone, "This doesn't really surprise me. You should have learned never to cross me, Gwen."

The goth girl, fed up with Courtney, shouted, "Tell me Courtney, what the hell did I ever do to cross you?"

"I saw the way you and Duncan interacted on TDA. You were clearly trying to win him over with your gothic charms," Courtney seethed.

"If that's your only reason for this grudge against me, then you're pathetic Courtney. In case it wasn't obvious, Duncan is madly in love with you," Gwen said in reply.

Courtney crossed her arms and said, "Yeah, but I've seen him flirting with you!"

Gwen raised an eyebrow and said, "You mean when he teases me the way he teases everyone else? If you think that's flirting then why aren't you jealous at virtually every other person Duncan talks to?"

The CIT stomped the ground in frustration and said, "No it's different because you like the same types of movies and music as he does."

Gwen rolled her eyes as she turned around and said, "You know what? I don't have to deal with you spewing crap. You need to learn how friends behave before you can come close to realizing how wrong you are."

As Courtney stood there speechless, Gwen walked out of the auditorium. After things had calmed down, Nicholas approached Danny and smirked before saying, "Well, it looks like I've avenged my girlfriend."

"How does eliminating me avenge your girlfriend's elimination," Danny asked calmly as he stood up.

"It isn't obvious? I admit, I was a bit of a jerk to you, but you retaliated by voting off my girlfriend. So now I have the last laugh because I'm still here and you aren't," Nicholas said, his cocky smirk still on his face.

Danny chuckled and said, "You don't pay attention when you're angry, do you? I wouldn't organize anyone's elimination. I was here to play with honor, if you remember. It would go against my code to try to get somebody specifically eliminated."

The mechanic looked to the side as if in thought for a moment before he said, "Well, I don't know if I can trust your word."

Danny shrugged and said, "So be it. Just let it be known that from now on, we are rivals." With that, the honorable teen waved goodbye to everyone else and joined Gwen outside, where the two walked to the bus together.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Gwen: Well, to put it simply, this sucked. I had a target on my back the entire contest and the challenges kind of sucked. At the very least, I met some awesome new people. As for all of my friends, good luck guys! Kick Courtney's butt for me!

Danny: I feel like I've played a good game. Sure, I only made it to the halfway point, but I did so by playing honorably. I've lived up to my expectations and hopefully next time I shall do even better.

* * *

It was shortly after the elimination when Joseph was seen standing in an empty room. He looked deep in thought before he said, "Well, it looks like a major threat is out of my hair. However, before I can really dominate this game, I have to get rid of another thorn in my side. Before anyone realizes what I'm doing, the money shall be mine and I will show that person that I can succeed."

* * *

Chris paused the footage of Joseph talking from a room that appeared to be used for producing TV shows, since there was an array of screens behind him. "I gotta love that guy. He really brings in ratings, and we're gonna need them now that the two major conflicts have been resolved," Chris said before pausing a pressing a couple other buttons to reveal some other video clips. The host looked at the screens for a moment more before he said, "Well, after a ton of delicious meals, Gwen and Danny have been eliminated. Will Courtney actually be happy because of this? Will Nicholas be happy? What is Joseph's next plan, and who is the person he's targeting next? Find out the answers to all of these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Gwen – 5 (Joseph, Noah, Courtney, Izzy, Jennifer)

Danny – 5 (Nicholas, Emily, Megan, Bridgette, Geoff)

Courtney – 3 (Gwen, Cody, Mikey)

Nicholas – 1 (Danny)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen

Contestants remaining: Geoff, Noah, Cody, Bridgette, Courtney, Izzy, Mikey, Nicholas, Joseph, Emily, Megan, Jennifer (12 remaining)

* * *

Fun Facts!

Gwen's role in the story was initially less than it is now. When I was planning out the eliminations, she was going to leave before Heather. However, once I realized a flaw with how that would work out, I switched it so that Gwen got the last laugh between her and Heather.

Danny was also going to leave earlier because I hadn't developed any plot lines for him to follow. However, once I settled on making him feud with Nicholas, I decided he had to stick around.

* * *

Well another chapter is complete, just in time for Thanksgiving too! Well, at least for American readers. Anyways, I have a few reasons as to why this chapter is up so late. First of all, my computer had gotten a virus so that had to be worked out. Then about a week later I got hit by Winter Storm Alfred, which was the snowstorm at the end of October that virtually shut down the Northeast for a week. So yeah, sorry about that but I can't control the weather. Onto other business, last I checked only one person so far has voted in the poll on my profile. Can a few more people please vote in it? I would like at least between three and five votes minimum, so if you would vote, I would appreciate it. Also, reviewing would be nice. This chapter is the 13th chapter and I only have 22 reviews. That's less than 2 reviews a chapter! I actually feel kind of sad about this, because I have seen some fics that are absolute crap that have more reviews than I do. Before I close this author's note, I want to point out that the go-kart designs from last chapter were based off various karts from Mario Kart Wii. To be specific, the karts were the Flame Flyer, the Offroader, the Wild Wing, a Standard Kart, and the Blue Falcon, in that order. Also in the little reference tag, the name of the website that produces Death Battle was cut off. For anyone interested, the website is ScrewAttack. Well, that wraps up this author's note I think. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: Four contestants have been eliminated so it's time for another aftermath!


	14. Aftermath 3: Third Time's the Charm

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or it's characters. I only own my own characters.

* * *

The lounge-like area that the members of the Aftermath wait in is showed when the camera opens. As always, there are numerous couches and a long table with snacks on it. Duncan, Owen, Beth, Katie, Sadie, Justin, Tyler, Lindsay, Eva, and Harold are seen. Also with them are the previously interviewed eliminated contestants: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie and Heather.

Rebecca was talking with William and Harold about numerous things, but they primarily talked about anime. "I don't really know," Rebecca said, tapping her chin, "The movie was pretty good. I mean, it managed to gather the three protagonists of the three series, but it was too Yusei-oriented, in my opinion."

Harold scoffed and said, "Yeah, the three main characters teaming up was cool but then it just messes up the timeline of everything! Gosh! I mean, if Yugi met Jaden during the timeline of the first series, then that would change the future, making it so that Yugi would recognize Jaden in the first episode of the second series! Idiots!"

"You guys should have watched the abridged version. It resolves that little plot hole nicely because Jaden gives Yugi a spoiler about what happens at the end of Yugi's series. Then they end up in subspace. Plus it's pretty damn funny too," William chuckled.

Rebecca smiled and said, "Oh I just love abridged anime shows! They're really funny! My favorites are Yugioh Abridged and Dragon Ball Z Abridged."

"No kidding? I love DBZ Abridged too," William replied with a smile.

Harold chuckled and said, "Hey, you two look like a couple right now." Both teens blushed and stammered over their predicament until Harold quirked an eyebrow and said, "I was just kidding guys. Gosh, I thought it would be funny."

A short distance away Leshawna chuckled and said to herself, "Those two probably like each other. They just don't realize it."

"What do you know about love Ghetto Girl," Heather snidely asked.

"Excuse me? You did not just say what I thought you said," Leshawna replied.

Heather glared at Leshawna and said, "I just did. What are you and your big butt gonna do about it?"

Leshawna got up and said, "I'll show you what I'm gonna do about it!"

Heather took note of the angry look she got and sprinted away, an angry Leshawna chasing after her. The two took off down a hallway, passing a seated Eva, who shouted, "Knock a tooth out of her mouth for me!"

"My, my, aren't we violent," a voice said to the right of Eva.

The muscular girl turned and grunted, "I figured you of all people would understand how angry I tend to get. Don't you remember when I yelled in your face during the last aftermath, Alexander?"

Alexander shrugged and said, "I remember, but you seem to be in a better mood today."

"I've tortured Heather for the past few days, of course I'm in a good mood," Eva replied while smirking.

Alexander shrugged and said, "I suppose that makes sense."

A few tables away, Owen was wolfing down snacks like there was no tomorrow. "Geez Owen," Duncan said from the neighboring table, "Keep eating like that and we might have to stage an intervention."

Owen looked horrified as he dropped a muffin, a piece of pizza and a scoop of ice cream on the ground. He lunged at Duncan's legs and wrapped around them, sobbing, "No Duncan! Please don't take away my food! I'll do anything! I mean it!"

Duncan cringed at the large teen getting his jeans wet with his tears and he said, "Owen! I was kidding!"

Owen stopped sobbing and got up off the ground before throwing himself at the delinquent, trapping him in a hug. "Owen…Can't Breath," Duncan managed to say before Owen let go of him, returning to his food.

From a short distance away, Lindsay saw this and said, "Poor Omar. Daniel can be so mean. You wouldn't do anything mean like that, right Todd?"

"No way Linds! I barely have a mean bone in my body. I can only be mean to bullies and jerks," Tyler told his girlfriend.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Lindsay cooed as she gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

A group of girls watched this from afar and collectively sighed. "Lindsay's so lucky. I wish I could have a boyfriend," Beth lamented.

Katie nodded and said, "Oh, I know. I've never had a real boyfriend. I've gone on a couple of dates before but never anything serious."

"Oh, me too. Although that one double date was kind of fun," Sadie commented.

Katie quirked an eyebrow and asked, "Which one? We've been on a couple of double dates."

The chubbier best friend smiled and said, "The one at that pizza place. Those two guys were nice."

Katie blinked her eyes in confusion before she said, "Sadie, that one ended badly. The two guys left before the check came because they thought we were lesbians."

"Really? Then which one was the good one," Sadie asked confusedly.

The skinnier best friend thought for a second and said, "I think it was the one where we went to that Chinese restaurant at the mall."

"Oh yeah! That's right," Sadie exclaimed.

Beth chuckled slightly and said, "You two must have so much fun living near each other. Nobody on the cast lives near me."

Julie approached and said, "Hey girls! What's up?"

Beth glanced back over toward Lindsay and Tyler and said, "We're all a little sad that we don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh. Well, if you want, I could give you all some tips later to help you get a boyfriend," Julie offered with a smile.

"You mean that," Beth asked hopefully.

"Like, that would be so cool," Sadie exclaimed.

Katie nodded and said, "Yeah, that would be so cool."

Across the room, two other people were having a conversation. "So do you honestly think that this contest is any good," DJ asked Justin, who was sitting next to him.

The model raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean DJ?"

DJ shrugged and said, "Well, is this whole thing worth it? Is all this tension and drama worth the prize money?"

"I don't know about you DJ, but it's been good for me. I got a few new modeling contracts due to my time on the show, so it's worked out for me," Justin replied with a shrug.

The gentle giant sighed and said, "I guess. I'm just wondering if I was doing the right thing when I signed up for this show."

The model pat DJ's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Deej. I'm sure things will work out for everyone in the end."

At this moment the door leading out to the stage opened and Ezekiel walked in. The home-schooled teen said, "Um, yoo guys need to be oot there in two minutes eh."

Harold raised an eyebrow and said, "Where's Carl?"

"He's already there. He just sent me to let yoo guys knoo, eh," Ezekiel replied before adding, "Katie, Sadie, yoo two are going to wait until the announcer calls yoo." The two best friends nodded before Ezekiel headed back toward the stage.

* * *

In two minutes time the show is set to begin. The set has remained unchanged, as there was a long couch in the middle of the stage with a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall above the couch. There are about twenty chairs on each side of the couch staggered so that they form rows of about six or seven chairs a row.

The ever-expanding peanut gallery takes their seats, which happen to be on the left side of the couch. In the first row are Lindsay, Tyler, Harold, Leshawna, Owen and Duncan. In the second row are Eva, Alexander, Justin, Beth, William, Rebecca and Heather. The top row has Ezekiel, Julie and DJ sitting in the seats.

After a minute or two, the announcer says, "Welcome to another installment of the Total Drama High School Aftermath! Please welcome your hosts, Katie and Sadie!"

The two best friends walked out onto the stage to mild cheering. After the cheering died down, Sadie smiled and said, "Hi everyone! I'm Sadie!"

"And I'm Katie! Welcome to the third Total Drama High School Aftermath," Katie finished.

"We've got four guests with us here tonight as well as a couple other surprises," the chubbier of the two hostesses said.

Katie nodded and said, "That's right! But before we get to them, let's recap what happened since the last aftermath. There were three challenges and they were based on Theater, Automotive Work, and Cooking."

Sadie smiled and said, "Cody, due to the pressure of others, asked Emily out and she agreed. I think it was sweet. Also, Mikey and Megan discovered their feelings for each other and started their relationship."

"But this wouldn't be Total Drama without drama, and boy there was quite a bit of it! Joseph appears to be as resourceful as ever, utilizing people's relationships and rivalries to his advantage. I can't stand that guy. He's so mean," Katie exclaimed.

"Oh I know. I can't believe he's twisted so many people's emotions just so he can win the competition," Sadie agreed.

"I think it's safe to say that I was never as bad as he is," Heather smirked from the peanut gallery.

Leshawna turned around and faced the queen bee and said, "While I'll admit that you aren't as bad as that punk Joseph, you ain't a saint yourself."

Heather glared at Leshawna for a moment before Sadie said, "While Joseph may be a master manipulator, he is not perfect. Courtney and Noah have both stated in confessionals that they don't fully trust him or his decisions. Hopefully they break free from him before it's too late."

Katie nodded and said, "We can hope so, can't we? Anyways, with that recap out of the way, let's welcome our first guest! He placed 11th on TDI, was a team captain on TDA, and he has a slight obsession with the number nine, it's Trent!"

As the musician walked onstage, the crowd erupted into massive amounts of cheering. Trent sat down on the open end of the couch and waved at the audience as the cheering finally died down. "Hi Trent! How are you," Sadie questioned.

Trent shrugged and said, "Well, I played an honest game and I did I best. I guess that's what matters, right?"

Katie smiled and said, "Well at least you don't have any regrets about how you played the game. But tell us about Jennifer. How do you feel about her still being in the game?"

"Well, I wish I was there with her but so long as she's still in the game and can win, I'm going to root for her the entire way," Trent replied after sighing slightly.

"Aww, that is so sweet," Sadie cooed.

Katie nodded and added, "I know, right?"

Eva grumbled to herself, "Romance is for wimps."

Sadie regained her composure and asked, "For our last question, what do you think about Joseph?"

Trent's face took on a considerably darker look as he said, "I hate Joseph. Not only for being behind my elimination but also because of how he manipulated Jennifer to get rid of Gwen. I hope everyone else catches on to him soon because the longer he stays in the game, the more people are going to hate him. He doesn't deserve to win and he can burn in hell if he keeps on manipulating everyone."

"Wow, those were some harsh words," Katie commented, biting her lip slightly.

"Most of the things that are said at juvie aren't that bad," Duncan noted from the peanut gallery.

Harold nodded and said, "Yeah and most of the insults that are directed towards me are nicer than that."

Duncan glared at Harold and said, "Shut up, King of the Dorks."

"Gosh," Harold muttered under his breath.

Katie looked at Trent and asked, "Well, if you don't mind, could you move to the peanut gallery so we can interview the next person."

Trent nodded and said, "Certainly."

"Well, our next guest got a boyfriend on the show, nearly kissed her boyfriend multiple times before they started going our and was another victim of Joseph's manipulations. It's Jessie," Sadie announced as the quiet girl walked onstage.

There was a decent amount of cheering and clapping for Jessie as she sat down on the couch. Katie smiled and said, "Welcome to the Aftermath Jessie. How do you feel you did throughout the game?"

"Oh, well, I suppose I did okay. I made a ton of friends and I got a boyfriend. I wished I could've made it a bit farther but we all gotta get eliminated at some point," Jessie replied with a shrug.

"Funny, Trent said the same sort of thing," Sadie noted before asking, "Speaking of your boyfriend, what made you attracted to Nicholas?"

The quiet girl blushed for a moment before she said, "Well, there's a couple of things. He's really handsome, first of all. He has a great personality, too. He's also never afraid to help a friend in need. I suppose what made me first develop a crush on him though was the fact that I wanted to learn some mechanical skills. Once I started to get to know him, things took off from there."

Katie giggled and said, "That's pretty sweet."

Sadie added, "And cute too."

"God enough with the sappy romance," Eva barked from the peanut gallery.

The best friends grabbed each other in surprise for a second before calming down. Katie took a deep breath and asked, "So now we need to talk about something serious. How do you view Nicholas' rivalry with Danny?"

"Well, I can kind of see where he's coming from. Danny interfered with Nick's success on a couple of occasions and he tends to get a bit angry when people who are supposed to be helping him end up hindering him," Jessie replied before sighing, "Unfortunately, even though I asked him to let it go, he didn't. He was deadest on believing that Danny got me eliminated. Another slight flaw that Nick has is that he can be a little thick-headed. Once an idea gets into his head, it's very difficult for him to change his mind. He and I will have to have a talk when he eventually gets eliminated."

"I see. Well, if you don't mind, we have another guest to talk to, so if you could move to the top row of seats, we would appreciate it," Sadie stated as Jessie nodded and moved to the top row of seats, sitting next to Trent.

Katie nudged her best friend in the shoulder slightly and said, "Before we get to our next guest, it's time for That's Going to Leave a Mark!" The audience cheered wildly as numerous clips from recent challenges and older ones were shown.

* * *

Clip 1: Izzy is flailing her foam sword from the Acting challenge around. As she does this, Nicholas, Noah and Emily get hit by the fake weapon and by Izzy's arm.

Clip 2: Geoff is grinning at his teammates as he stands by the stove during the cooking challenge. He puts his hand down on top of the surface of the stove. After a few seconds, he shouts in pain and lifts his burnt hand off of the burner.

Clip 3: Izzy is shown riding the zip line from the math challenge by her legs, and then face planting when she is close to the ground.

Clip 4: Mikey fires a tortoise shell out of the pitching machine on his go-kart from the automotives challenge. It arcs through the air and hits Nicholas in the back of the head, disorienting him.

Clip 5: During the sports challenge, before the veterans even get to start strategizing, Courtney and Heather start slap-fighting over who gets to be leader.

* * *

Once the clips end, some people in the audience are cheering wildly and others are laughing quite loudly. Once the crowd calms down, Katie announces, "Our next guest is the only Asian male to compete on Total Drama, was part of a mostly one-sided feud with Nicholas and has been one of the few contestants who accepted their elimination with their head held high. Please welcome Danny!"

The audience erupted into cheering once again as Danny walks his way onstage and bows to the audience. He then proceeds to sit on the couch and say, "Hello Katie and Sadie."

"Hi Danny," both girls greet the honorable teen.

Sadie waits for the crowd to settle down before she asks, "So Danny, one of the biggest questions I think a lot of people have is why were you playing the entire game with honor?"

"Well, that is quite simple. From when I was very little, my parents instilled in me a deep sense of honor. I have been taught that the only way one should do something is honorably. So I carried that principle with me into the contest," Danny explained.

"I see," Katie said with a slight nod before continuing, "So why do you think Nicholas disliked you so much?"

Danny took a deep breath before he said, "Well, I am not afraid to admit that part of that was my fault. In the woodshop and physical education challenges, my duty to uphold honor in the competition did keep him from securing a win. So I suppose that is what led him to dislike me. The thing that pushed him over the edge however was when I laughed at him over the irony of Jessie being eliminated on the day of the automotives challenge."

"Yeah, I have a question about that. Why did you laugh at him? You already knew he didn't like you, so why did you provoke him," Jessie spoke up.

Danny turned to his rival's girlfriend and said, "Well, few people were present during the building stage of that challenge but he basically insulted my beliefs and was kind of a dick."

Sadie nodded and said, "Oh yeah! I remember that."

Danny nodded and resumed, "Yes, Sadie was there. Anyways, I figured since he was a jerk to me, I would be in the right to be a jerk to him back. It's the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated."

Sadie looked at her note card and asked, "So what do you think about Joseph's alliance?"

"Well I obviously don't like them because they've been using dishonest tactics to control who stays and who goes," Danny said while shaking his head angrily. After taking another deep breath, he continues, "I doubt Joseph can be redeemed, but if Courtney and Noah see his true colors soon enough and fight against him, I might be able to forgive them."

"Well, that's all the questions we had for you," Sadie said as Danny nodded and made his way to the top row of seats and sat down next to Jessie. The chubbier best friend then smiles and said, "Our final guest finished in second place on TDI, was believed to be a traitor to her team on TDA and has recently been fighting with Courtney, please welcome Gwen!"

The crowd erupted into cheers that were far louder than any other cheers heard during the entire show. Some booing was mixed in with the cheering, but for the most part it was impossible to hear. "Hi Gwen! It's great to see you," Sadie excitedly said as the Goth girl sat down.

Katie gasped and said, "Oh my god, that's the exact same thing I was going to say!"

Sadie opened her mouth in shock for a moment and said, "No way!"

"Yes way," the skinnier best friend said excitedly.

"Aren't I here for an interview," Gwen asked, part sarcastic and part curious.

Katie smiled and said, "Sorry Gwen. You know how Sadie and I can get sometimes. Anyways, for our first question, how do you feel you played the game?"

"Honestly, I think I did fairly well. I mean, I met a couple of decent people and made a couple of new friends. On top of that, I performed well and won quite a few challenges. If Courtney weren't in this season, I think I would have done so much better," Gwen replied, a frown crossing her face when she mentioned Courtney.

"Speaking of Courtney, why do you think she was trying to eliminate you so much," Sadie asked.

Gwen had a slight look of confusion on her face as she said, "That's just the thing! I don't know! I think it has something to do with me and Duncan being friends. But she shouldn't have to worry about that. I mean, Duncan's still crazy about her."

"It's true. I love my princess something fierce," Duncan replied from the peanut gallery.

Gwen nodded and said, "See? Exactly my point. I mean no offense to Duncan when I say this, but Courtney needs to relax for a minute. She's too damn overprotective about Duncan."

Katie nodded and said, "I see. Well, while we're on the topic of Courtney, what do you think about the alliance?"

"Okay, I figured Courtney would rope a couple people into voting for me, but the fact that Joseph, who was the one who has been actually organizing everything, was trying to be friendly, is appalling. I'm not quite sure how they managed to convince enough people to vote for me, but they did, and I'm not happy about it," Gwen replied, a scowl on her face.

Sadie looked nervous and said, "Well, aside from the alliance, Jennifer and Izzy voted for you."

Gwen looked surprised and exclaimed, "Why did they vote for me?"

Katie hung her head and said, "Well, Joseph told Jennifer you voted for Trent, so she did it out of revenge." Up in the peanut gallery, Trent sat there, mouth agape in surprise.

"Okay, that makes a little sense, but why Izzy," Gwen inquired.

"We have a clip for that," Sadie said as the clip began to play.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: Well, after much thought on my part, I'm voting for Gwen. I mean, she was too boring with the gelato! We could've made such better flavors, like jalapeno or skittles! Then I bet we would've won.

* * *

"So Izzy voted for me because I wanted to do something simple the first time I tried it? That's a pretty terrible reason," Gwen deadpanned.

"I agree," Danny remarked from the peanut gallery, "But keep in mind it is Izzy."

Sadie nodded and said, "I think we can all agree that Izzy has more than a few screws loose. Now Gwen, that's all we have in terms of questions, so if you could go to the peanut gallery, we can finish up this show." Gwen shrugged and moved to the peanut gallery, sitting next to Danny.

Katie turned toward everyone else and said, "Well, peanut gallery, what do you think about the most recent events?"

Duncan punched the palm of his hand and said, "If Joseph pulls any crap with Courtney, he is so in for a beating when he gets eliminated."

"That's if he gets eliminated. Remember how long I lasted in TDI? He's like a better version of me," Heather smirked.

Gwen rolled her eyes and said, "I'm sure everyone else remaining can figure things out. The only thing somebody has to do is accidentally eavesdrop on one of his confessionals and he's finished."

Harold pointed out, "That could happen. Or either Courtney or Noah could reveal Joseph's intentions to everyone else, even if that means sacrificing themselves to defeat the greater evil."

Lindsay looked confused slightly and said, "Why does Johnny act so nice if he's so mean?"

"It's because he wants to keep everyone's trust, and so he pretends to be nice. If he were mean the entire time, he wouldn't make it very far," Tyler said while patting his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah, like me. Apparently I was mean or something and that's why I was voted out. Twice," Eva grumbled.

Alexander shot the muscular girl a glance and said, "I wouldn't know why that happened. Apparently I was voted out for being lazy. But if it means I can stay here, that's fine by me."

"You got that right, this place is off the hook," Leshawna excitedly stated.

Owen chuckled and said, "It is pretty nice. I like the buffets we have here."

Justin quirked an eyebrow and said, "Back to the point, that alliance needs to fall. Personally, I don't care if just Joseph loses or if all three of them go, either way, the injustice needs to stop."

"I agree, it's time those three lost. I mean, if Courtney or Noah sold Joseph out, I guess I could forgive them," Beth replied with a giggle.

"I just hope Nicholas doesn't fall prey to that alliance's cold grip," Jessie lamented with a sigh.

Trent cast a glance at the quiet girl next to him and nodded before saying, "The same goes for Jennifer. Hopefully she can figure out what's going on before it's too late."

Rebecca grinned evilly and said, "Once Joseph gets eliminated, he's going to get a taste of our fury, isn't he?"

William quirked an eyebrow and said, "But weren't you like one of the only people he didn't conspire to eliminate?"

"Was I? Oh, well, we can still kick the crap out of him," Rebecca replied with a shrug.

"Now you're speaking my language," William said with a crazy grin.

DJ shivered and said, "Count me out. I don't like violence."

"No problem, big guy," William responded calmly.

"You know what I want to know," Julie asked out loud.

Ezekiel tilted his head slightly and asked, "What?"

Julie looked confused and said, "I wonder why he's actually doing this. From what he says at the end of an episode occasionally, it seems like he has an actual reason for this."

"Would that actually change how you view him," Danny asked incredulously.

"Well, it depends on his reasoning. If he has a friend dying of cancer and wants to win the money so his friend can get chemotherapy, for example, then I could forgive him," Julie replied with a shrug.

Danny nodded and said, "You know what, if his reason is similar in seriousness to that, I shall forgive him as well."

"Well, I think that was enough time for the peanut gallery," Sadie noted.

Katie nodded and said, "Oh so do I. Well, that was a great show. Before we leave though, starting with the next aftermath, there will be a segment where we answer YOUR questions. You can ask any character who will be at the aftermath a question, even if they didn't compete this season. So don't be afraid to send in your questions!"

"Okay, now I think that wraps things up," Sadie said before resuming, "Be sure to tune in to Total Drama High School for more excitement, romance, and most importantly drama!"

Katie added, "And be sure to watch the next aftermath once four more people are eliminated! The hosts next time will be Justin and Beth! I'm Katie!"

"And I'm Sadie! Good night," Sadie called out. The lights on the stage dimmed as the peanut gallery got up and started to walk offstage.

* * *

Authors Note: Well, like I told my reviewers in a PM, I got another chapter up before Christmas. I'm going to try to update as frequently as possible in the coming months but it will be difficult. I've got Exams in a couple weeks and the build season for my robotics team starts on January 7th, and it doesn't end until President's day, approximately. Regardless, I want to upload a new chapter of Total Drama Zombieland before I work on the next chapter of TDHS. I'm partially done with that though, so I should have it done before my exams start.

As for the poll, I will replace it after I post the next chapter of TDHS. I have three votes now, which I suppose is enough, but more wouldn't hurt. That's why I'm leaving it for the moment. Please review and await patiently for the next chapter. See you next time!

* * *

Next Time!: It's supposed to be the best night of their lives, and for some it will be. For the others though, it'll be less than ideal and one person will wish they could forget it ever happened.


	15. Chapter 12: Total Drama Prom

Disclaimer: Total Drama Island, Action, World Tour and Revenge of the Island and their characters are not owned by me. I haven't seen an episode of Revenge of the Island though, so I doubt those characters will show up any time soon.

* * *

Chris was seen in what looked like a dressing room somewhere, as evidenced by the racks of clothing all over the place. He was leaning against the wall of a changing room and appeared to be waiting. "Come on man," Chef's voice could be heard from the changing room, "Why do I have to be the one to try on dresses? Why do I have to try on dresses in the first place?"

"Dude, relax. I told you I would give you another one of your overdue checks if you did this," Chris said with a shrug.

Chef replied from the stall, "Well why not get an intern to do it?"

Chris chuckled and said, "They wanted to be paid to do it, which is funny because interns aren't supposed to be paid."

A deep chuckle sounded from Chef, who replied, "Still, why am I trying on dresses?"

Chris shrugged and said, "We need to make sure they would fit the girls."

"And you thought having a muscular man such as myself try on dresses would prove they can fit teenage girls? Were you dropped on your head or something when you were a baby? It would make more sense for you to try them on," Chef argued.

"Yes, I was dropped on my head as a baby, or at least, that's what my parents tell me. But to answer your other question, I can't try them on because if any footage of me wearing dresses ever got leaked to anyone, my career would be over. You don't have to worry about ruining your reputation," Chris replied.

Chef grumbled and said, "Yeah, because you already ruined whatever reputation I may have had."

Chris rolled his eyes and shot back, "Everyone already knows you have a soft side. It's not that hard to figure out."

Chef grumbled something under his breath as a cameraman showed up. He pointed at Chris who smiled and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! I split the teens into two groups where we revisited a classic challenge from season one: the cooking challenge! Each team came up with their own theme and man were the dishes good! While preparing the food, Mikey, our resident gamer, manned up and asked out his crush Megan, who eagerly accepted. After myself, Chef Hatchet and Owen ate the meals prepared for us, one team won and the other was sent to elimination, where it was revealed that two people would be eliminated! Gwen rallied for votes against Courtney but it was the CIT that had the last laugh as Gwen was eliminated alongside Danny, much to Nicholas' delight. Now that half of the contestants are gone, the teams are now merged! With all of the current rivalries gone, how can and will Joseph exploit the votes?"

"Hey Chris," Chef asked, opening the door of the changing room, "Does this dress make me look fat?" Chef looked at the camera with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights, for approximately 2.433 seconds before slamming the door shut.

Chris howled with laughter and said between bouts of laughter, "How will the contestants look when they clean themselves up for a dance? And can anyone look worse in a dress than Chef? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!" As the camera faded for the opening sequence, Chef could be heard sobbing loudly.

* * *

It was the morning after the cooking challenge and the contestants were, for the most part, happy. Megan sighed contentedly as Mikey gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Well, we've made it to the merge. We're halfway to a half a million bucks," Mikey said as he put his arm around his girlfriend.

Megan nodded and said, "It's going to only get tougher from here. But even if I don't win, at least I can say that I got a boyfriend out of all this."

Mikey chuckled and said, "I suppose that is true, but don't give up hope yet. We're both strong competitors. We have the potential to go far."

"Don't worry, I know we're both smart enough to make it far," the nice girl giggled and kissed the gamer, stopping the conversation so the two could kiss.

* * *

From a distance Bridgette saw the new couple kissed and hugged Geoff, saying, "Those two are such a cute couple. You know, they kind of remind me of us Geoff."

"Really? How do you figure," Geoff asked, scratching his head under his hat.

"This is at least the fifth or sixth time that they've kissed since they got on the bus, so I assume that they like kissing. And we both like kissing," Bridgette stated, trying to get a point across.

Geoff grinned and said, "Oh, I gotcha now Bridge." The party boy leaned in and started an impromptu make-out session with his girlfriend.

* * *

Cody and Emily sat together in another seat a few rows behind Geoff and Bridgette and so they saw both of the kissing couples. The two were quiet until Emily let out a sigh. Cody looked to his girlfriend and asked, "Anything wrong Emily?"

The dancer just shrugged and said, "I dunno. I mean, both of the couples here have been kissing a lot and we've hardly done anything besides hug and hold hands. I guess I just wish we were a little more like them."

Cody scratched the back of head and replied, "Well, I guess the reason why we haven't really kissed too much and stuff is because I don't know how soon is too soon. To be honest, you're the first real girlfriend I've had."

"Really? What about school dances," Emily asked.

"I usually go alone or if I go with a girl, I go with one of my friends so it's not like a real date. I just don't want to risk losing you, especially so soon into our relationship," the tech geek replied.

Emily hugged her boyfriend and said, "Oh Cody, I wouldn't get mad over something like that. Not only would I forgive you for being my boyfriend, but you're also my favorite of the original contestants."

Cody blinked in surprise and said, "As long as you're okay with it." Emily nodded and Cody proceeded to kiss his girlfriend.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: Man, it seems like everyone's kissing their boyfriend or girlfriend today. It makes me kind of want to have a girlfriend. But all of the girls still here are taken. I suppose that will have to wait for when I'm in another season, because it's inevitable that there will be another one.

Courtney: Wow, there's a surprising amount of romance today. It kind of makes me wish Duncan were here. (She realizes what she said after a couple of seconds.) Not because I like him, it's because he makes me feel loved. No wait- (She continues on like this for a while).

* * *

When Courtney finally came out of the confessional, Bridgette broke a kiss with Geoff and said, "Hey Courtney, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Bridgette. Whatever you need," Courtney said with a shrug. The two girls walked to an empty seat away from prying ears. "So Bridgette, what is it that you wanted to ask me," Courtney asked.

Bridgette looked to the side and said, "Well, I'm not sure how exactly to put this. I guess what I want to ask you is why were you opposed to Gwen so much?"

Courtney scoffed and said, "Bridgette, you saw how Duncan interacted with her on Total Drama Action. She was only asking for it."

"Courtney, you do realize that Duncan was the one who initiated anything that looked like flirting, right," the surfer asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose he was. But Gwen didn't do anything to try to stop him," Courtney reasoned.

Bridgette put a hand on Courtney's shoulder and said, "Look Courtney, I can respect the idea that you like Duncan deep down and you want to think that it wasn't his fault. And maybe he wasn't at fault all the time. But what I'm asking you to do is just be nice to Gwen next time you see her. Maybe see if the two of you can bury the hatchet."

Courtney appeared to be contemplating the request for a while when she finally sighed and said, "All right Bridgette, I suppose I can try being civil with Gwen. But keep in mind I'm only doing this because you asked me to. If anyone else asked me I would probably reject the idea."

"If that's what it takes, I'm fine with that," the surfer replied as she got up to sit with Geoff again.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Bridgette: I know it'll be hard for Gwen to believe anything Courtney says but it would be nice to see the two of them be able to cooperate for a change.

* * *

At a different area of the bus, Nicholas had his eyes closed and he was listening to his iPod with a smile on his face. As he was listening to the metal music blasting in his ears, he was thinking about how he felt accomplished for getting rid of Danny.

But in the back of his mind, something was bugging him. 'I know Danny said his beliefs would keep him from trying to eliminate somebody specific,' Nicholas thought, 'But he could have been lying. I mean, he did seem to be proud when Jess got eliminated. Still, why do I feel like I messed up? Could Danny really have been innocent?' Frowning, Nicholas opened his eyes and turned off his music.

Joseph asked from across the aisle, "Something wrong Nicholas?"

The mechanic turned to the overachiever and said, "I'm just thinking about yesterday. Danny said he had nothing to do with Jessie's elimination and I can't prove he did. I kept telling myself that I was avenging my girlfriend but now I'm not so sure."

"Well, you could always just stick with your gut reaction for the time being. And later on, if it turns out you're wrong, you can always apologize for your actions," the overachiever replied.

"Huh. I never thought about it that way. Thanks Joseph," Nicholas replied, turning his music back on.

Joseph smiled and said, "Don't mention it."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Nicholas: You know, Joseph is great at giving advice. I wonder if he ever considered going into philosophy. He'd probably be good at it, but I bet there's something else he wants to do with his life.

* * *

Noah was sitting near the front of the bus, reading one of his books. Since he grew up around eight siblings, he was accustomed to ignoring noises. When Jennifer sighed in a certain way though, he couldn't ignore it.

"I may regret asking," Noah said, "But is something the matter Jennifer? You've been sighing like that the entire bus ride."

Jennifer turned so that she was no longer glancing out the window and said, "Well, I guess the stress of competing is getting to me. It's not so much the actual competing, but the drama that results from the eliminations and such is what's getting me down. I mean first Trent, then Jessie and now Gwen and Danny. The tension has been high in the air for awhile now and I just don't like it."

Noah shrugged and replied, "Not to sound like a smartass, but that's to be expected when the name of the show is Total Drama. And unfortunately, as the number of contestants gets less and less, more of your friends will be leaving. To put it bluntly, it's only going to get worse from here on out."

"Wow, that's pretty pessimistic," the performing artist said while looking down.

"I'd rather be pessimistic and honest than lie and give false hope," Noah said as he went back to reading his book. Jennifer glanced at Noah one more time before glancing back out the window.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jennifer: I can understand what Noah is saying, but did he have to be so harsh about it? I wonder if there's a way someone could make Noah more positive.

* * *

While Courtney was talking to Bridgette, Izzy looked over the seat behind her and said excitedly, "Hi Geoff! Man, you and Bridgette were seriously making out, weren't ya? I bet you enjoyed that, just like when I enjoyed blowing up that lifeguard tower with fireworks. So what's new with you?"

"Whoa, sup Izzy dudette! I totally didn't see you there. Yeah, Bridgette loves it when we make out. You know, I bet you would love the parties I throw back home! We get to be pretty wild and crazy. You wanna come to the next one," Geoff replied, grinning at the thought of another party.

"Woo! That sounds more fun than the time I had to rescue my imaginary friend from bears! You can count me in," Izzy happily cackled.

Geoff grinned and said loud enough for most of the contestants to hear, "Once we get done with this season, we're totally gonna have a rocking party with everyone from the show!" This was met with cheers from many of the remaining contestants.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Izzy: I wonder if Geoff would mind if I brought dynamite to his party.

Geoff: I totally gotta work on bringing up the party vibe here. The past few days were so depressing and stressful. We gotta have more fun while we're here dudes!

* * *

As the bus finally arrived at the school, everyone got out and proceeded to walk inside. Upon reaching the lobby they saw a cardboard standee of Chris. The standee had a word bubble, so it looked like it was talking. The word bubble of the standee said, "Come to the auditorium for your next challenge." With a few rolls of eyes and shrugs, the contestants headed off to learn the next challenge.

"So Cody," Mikey asked, starting conversation, "What do you suppose this next challenge is?"

"To be honest, I don't have a single clue. The only reason I can think of as to why Chris is making us go to the auditorium is because his appearance would give away the challenge," the tech geek replied.

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, right. He's probably only doing this so he can prolong the reveal of the challenge so it's more suspenseful to the audience."

"I suppose that would make sense, given Chris' personality, but he also wants to see us fight and create drama, and leading us on a wild goose chase is not going to accomplish that," Joseph commented.

Courtney frowned and said, "Not exactly. If he leads us on a wild goose chase, we'll eventually get annoyed with him and take our anger out on each other, leading to conflict before we even start the challenge, making it even worse for us."

"Yeah, that seems like something Chris would do, given how he's acted in the past," Bridgette replied with a slight sigh.

Megan pointed at the auditorium doors and said, "Well, we're about to find out right now just what is going on."

Opening the doors, the nice girl held them open for the rest of the contestants, Mikey waiting until she was done so the couple could walk to the stage together. Geoff inspected the stage and said, "Well, there're no other directions from Chris, so I guess we just wait here."

After a moment of waiting, a slow paced romantic song began to play over the loudspeaker. Joseph scratched his chin and said, "This makes me curious. I wonder what the music is for."

Very shortly after the song began to play, Chris walked onto the stage, dressed in a very nice black tuxedo, unlike the one he wore for the duration of Total Drama Action.

A moment later, Chef walked onto the stage, dressed in an elegant purple dress. He also had a pink tiara on his head. As the contestants began to howl in laughter at the appearance of the tough chef, he grumbled, "I hate everybody."

Chris got over his laughter and said, "Welcome to the next challenge of Total Drama High School! Anyone want to take a guess as to what the challenge is?"

Noah wiped a tear from his eye and replied, "Is the challenge to see who looks the most ridiculous in a dress? Because if it is, Chef totally just won."

"Are we humiliating Chef? Because you already did a damn fine job of it," Nicholas snickered.

Mikey stood in thought for a moment before he said, "Damn it, I can't think of another joke."

Chris chuckled and shook his head before saying, "Nope, though that gives me ideas for future challenges. Today's challenge is based on something that pretty much every high school girl dreams of: The night of their prom!" A few girls, including Bridgette, Emily and Megan, squealed with delight at this revelation while Jennifer and Nicholas looked sad or upset.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Nicholas: Are you freaking kidding me? A challenge specifically designed for couples and my girlfriend isn't here? Yep its official, this challenge sucks.

Jennifer: Oh man, there's no way I could possibly enjoy this challenge without Trent here. It stinks too, because I always dreamed of what my prom would be like, especially with my dream guy.

Mikey: To be honest, I never planned on going to my school's prom. I never saw any real incentive to going. I could have just as great a time elsewhere and spend less money. Although that was before I had a girlfriend. Who knows, maybe this challenge will change my mind.

* * *

After the girls got over their excitement, Chris smiled and said, "That's right! You twelve will all be going to the Chris McLean High School Prom! Ladies, every single one of you will be asked out by one of the handsome male students. Dresses and tuxedos will be provided for all attendees, as well as a dinner buffet courtesy of a local catering company. After a night of dancing and romance, one couple will be named prom king and queen! The King and Queen will be determined by yourselves and the previously eliminated contestants, who due to fine print on their contracts will not see you in person. Those elected prom King and Queen will find themselves with immunity tonight while somebody else will go home. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I got one," Nicholas said while raising his hand, "What if we wanted to ask one of the eliminated contestants to prom?"

"Too bad! We have to let everyone still in the competition participate and if you work with an eliminated contestant, somebody gets left out. So you can't work with an eliminated contestant," Chris said, a cocky grin on his face.

"Bastard," Nicholas muttered under his breath.

Joseph raised his hand and asked, "You said something about a dinner buffet. Does this mean the challenge will take place at night? What do you insinuate we do all day? It's nine in the morning!"

Chris shook his head and said, "Dinner is at the very end of the prom, right before we announce the king and queen. The prom will start at about four-thirty, giving you all an hour and a half of dancing and such before we eat. As for what we will do before then, we're going to the nearby mall, where there just so happens to be a store for tuxedoes and a store for dresses. You may all purchase one dress or tux free of charge, compliments of Total Drama. Bring some money because we plan on eating there. The bus will leave the mall at two-thirty, so we can get back at three, allowing everyone enough time to prepare."

After a moment of silence, Chef grumbled, "I'm getting out of this frilly dress and getting ready to drive the bus."

Chris turned from where his co-host stood to the teens and said, "Well, since we've got a few minutes, boys, ask one of our lovely ladies to the prom!"

Mikey turned to Megan and asked, "Hey Megan, would you like to go to prom with me?"

"Of course," the nice girl replied with a giggle.

"So yeah, would you like, go to prom with me Bridgette," Geoff asked, grinning at his girlfriend.

Bridgette kissed the party boy and said, "I would love to Geoff."

"So Emily," Cody said, "Would you go to the prom with me?"

Emily hugged her boyfriend and replied, "Of course Cody!"

As the three couples stood to the side, the other six teens stood around awkwardly. "Hey Jennifer, since my girlfriend and your boyfriend have been eliminated, what do you say we go to prom together," Nicholas asked.

Jennifer looked down and said, "I don't know. You mean as friends right?"

The mechanic nodded and said, "If course. We're doing this out of respect for Jessie in my case and Trent in yours."

"Well when you put it that way, I guess that wouldn't be so bad," Jennifer replied, a slight smile showing on her face.

This left four people unaccounted for. Joseph saw his remaining options and called out, "Dibs on Courtney!"

"Hey! I'm not just something that you can call as your own," Courtney complained.

"Oh no you don't," Noah cried out in vain.

Joseph smiled and asked, "Courtney, would you care to go to prom with me?"

Courtney sighed and said, "I guess so, sure."

Noah turned around and said, "Damn it."

"Aw come on Noah, it'll be fun! Who knows what we could do," Izzy said happily, circling Noah like how a wolf circles its prey.

"Hold on," Noah said, a smirk creeping up on his face, "Chris said I had to ask you out. If I don't ask you, I don't have to do this."

Chris smiled and said, "You would like that, wouldn't you Noah? Sorry, but since Izzy is the only available girl left, you have to ask her out." Noah simply grumbled as Izzy dragged him away.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Why did I have to be paired up with Izzy of all people? Why couldn't any of the other girls from this show be here in Izzy's place? I would prefer Eva, Beth, Katie, Sadie, anyone but Izzy. I swear, she's probably going to put me in the hospital by the end of the night. (After he's done ranting, a blur of green and orange drops down from the ceiling). Izzy? What the hell were you doing on the ceiling?

Izzy: Silly Noah, I was trying to figure out how I can make you happy today!

Noah: I'll be happy if I don't get taken to the hospital, thank you very much.

Izzy: Gotcha! No life-threatening injuries today!

* * *

Once Chef changed out of his dress, Chris led the teens to the bus where they all boarded and departed for the mall. The trip was short and uneventful, though the couples were talking about what they were going to do. Once the group arrived at the mall, the guys went to the tuxedo shop while the girls went to the dress store.

* * *

Chris stood at the entrance to the tuxedo shop and said to the six male competitors, "All right guys, you may each pick one tuxedo from the supply here. It comes with the full outfit so you guys don't have to worry about anything. And once you're done here, you can spend the rest of the time doing whatever you want until we have to leave."

With that, the host stepped aside letting the six teenagers look around at what they could wear. Nicholas was looking down one of the aisles and said, "Damn. Who would've thought there would be tuxedoes in this many colors?"

"I know dude, it's insane," Geoff, who was nearby looking at a pink tuxedo the same color of his undershirt, stated. The party boy put the pink tux back on the rack and said, "Just find one in a color you like dude. I know this isn't ideal for you, but it's a dance. You just need to enjoy yourself."

Nicholas chuckled to himself and said, "True, but I doubt wearing a cream-colored tuxedo would be enjoyable." Geoff looked at the tuxedo the mechanic was holding up and laughed as well.

A few aisles over, Mikey was scrutinizing a certain tuxedo. One of the employees, a man with short brown hair, and wearing a dark blue polo shirt along with khaki pants, walked over and asked in a British accent, "Is there something troubling you sir?"

Mikey looked at the man and asked, "Is it possible to try this on? I don't quite know what size would fit me best. I haven't worn a tuxedo in years."

"Why certainly good sir. And if that tuxedo does not fit you for whatever reason, we can measure you to see what size would be best," the employee said as he led Mikey to the dressing room.

Near the dressing room, they encountered Noah, who was looking at a dark brown tuxedo. After Mikey entered the dressing room, Noah turned to the British employee and asked, "Excuse me, but would you happen to have a fire-proof tuxedo?"

A laugh emanated from the dressing room and Mikey asked, "You think you're date is going to be that bad?"

"I'm working with Izzy remember," the know-it-all replied.

Silence followed before the gamer replied, "Never mind. You have all the reason to want a fire-proof tux."

The employee returned from a nearby computer terminal and said, "Sir, we do have a few fire resistant tuxedoes, but not fire proof I'm afraid. If you like, I can show you the few we have."

Noah nodded and said, "If you could do that, it would be greatly appreciated."

"Yes sir. Right this way," the man led Noah away.

The pair passed by Cody, who was looking at one of the tuxedoes that he had liked. "Hmm," Cody thought aloud as he looked at the formalwear, "I like the color of this but the real question is will Emily like it?"

Joseph, who was nearby, quirked an eyebrow and asked, "What's the problem Cody?"

The tech geek looked up at the overachiever and said, "Oh, I was just wondering if Emily would like the color of this tuxedo."

"Aren't you the one who's supposed to worry about your clothing," Joseph asked.

Cody nodded and said, "I guess. But I don't want her to think that this is an ugly color or anything. She's my first girlfriend and I want things to work out well between us."

Joseph frowned and shook his head before replying, "Cody, my friend, if she likes you as much as I think she does, then she won't care what color tuxedo you're wearing. And if she doesn't like you because of simply what color you choose to wear, then she isn't worth it."

"Wow, thanks Joseph. That was really insightful," Cody said as he went to try on the tuxedo he was looking at. Joseph smiled a genuine smile as he continued to search for a tuxedo.

* * *

Chef Hatchet looked really angry standing outside of the dress store. When the six girls approached he said with little enthusiasm, "You go inside. Find a dress you like. Put it on Total Drama's Tab. You leave the store. You spend time elsewhere until we leave. Got it? Good." The six girls entered the store and dispersed themselves, looking at the array of dresses.

Megan looked at the multitudes of colored dresses while walking down an aisle when she came upon Jennifer. "Hey Jennifer," Megan greeted, trying to not show her excitement for the challenge.

The performing artist looked up from the black dress she was looking at and replied, "Oh, hi Megan. Did you want something?"

The nice girl shook her head and said, "No, I was just wondering how you're feeling about this challenge. Is everything alright?"

Jennifer sighed and said, "Well to be honest, I'm not feeling too great about this challenge. I mean, my boyfriend isn't here for me to truly enjoy it. Working with Nicholas is okay, but he's only doing this because he's in the same position I am."

Megan placed a hand on Jennifer's shoulder and said, "I know you're sad that Trent isn't here, but you need to carry on. I'm going to sound a bit like Geoff here, but you need to relax and have fun. I'm pretty sure that's what Trent would want you to do."

Jennifer smiled a little bit and said, "Thanks Megan, I needed that. You're right; Trent would want me to enjoy this. I'm going to give it my all in this contest from now on."

"Well that's good," Megan responded, "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to look at the next aisle for dresses."

Jennifer nodded before putting the black dress back on the rack and the two looked down other aisles in the store. Jennifer passed by Courtney and Izzy, who were fighting over a pair of scissors.

"Let go Courtney! I don't like the colors of any of the dresses here! I want to combine two of them," Izzy shouted, trying to grab the scissors out of Courtney's hands.

Courtney shook her head and said, "No Izzy, you can't do that. Not only would it ruin two perfectly good dresses, but it would also mean you would have to buy two dresses, which you can't."

A woman with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a red blouse and tan skirt, walked over and asked, "Can I help you two with anything?"

Courtney continued to struggle with Izzy and said, "Well, my friend here wants to make a combination of two dresses, but she can only buy one, so I'm trying to stop her from doing something she will regret."

"Oh well if that's the case, we can create a dress to her liking. It'll take a few hours, but it's doable," the saleswoman said.

Izzy stopped fighting with Courtney and asked, "Really? That's so cool!"

The woman nodded and said, "Yes, so long as your dress is a combination of two, we can do it. If it's more than two, sadly we cannot accommodate your desires."

"Nope! I only want my dress to be green and orange, just like me," Izzy cackled as the saleswoman led her away.

Courtney put the scissors down on a nearby table and said, "I never thought I would get rid of Izzy. Now I need to find my own dress."

As Courtney walked to the other side of the store, she passed an aisle that Bridgette and Emily were in. Emily was happily humming to herself as she looked at the different dresses that were available in her size. Due to her small stature, the dancer had a smaller selection of dresses than most of the contestants.

Bridgette glanced over at Emily and asked, "Do you have any idea what type of dress you want?"

The dancer stopped humming and replied, "Not really. I haven't given it much thought to tell the truth."

Bridgette shrugged and said, "Well, go with whatever speaks to you. Like I know I want an ocean blue dress, not unlike the color of my hoodie right now."

"Well, I was thinking about wearing the color yellow. It's my favorite color," Emily explained.

"Hmm. I may not care too much about fashion, but I can tell a yellow dress wouldn't look too good. Now if you had a golden dress, that could work nicely. It's still yellow, without it being truly yellow," the surfer suggested.

Emily nodded and said, "That's a great idea! Thanks Bridgette."

Bridgette smiled and replied, "No problem. I'll do anything to help my friends."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Chris: Unfortunately, we were only able to use cameras in the two stores so we don't know what happened the rest of the time the teens were at the mall. So we're going to skip to when everyone is getting ready for the dance. They will get the locker rooms to prepare. Let's watch!

* * *

Boy's Locker Room

The six male teenagers were currently getting prepared for the dance by getting out their tuxedoes and putting them on. "Geoff dude, you ready for tonight," Mikey asked his best friend.

Geoff cheered and said, "You know it dude! Tonight is going to be awesome! Hopefully I can bring Bridge to my actual senior prom when the time comes."

Nicholas put some of his things, including his wallet and iPod, into one of the lockers and closed it before saying, "I can only hope that the actions of tonight don't hurt Jessie's feelings."

Mikey raised an eyebrow and told the mechanic, "Nicholas, don't worry. I'm sure she would understand."

Joseph, who overheard the conversation, added, "Everyone knows Chris is a dick, so she would understand if you told her that you couldn't pick her."

"Thanks guys," Nicholas said with a slight smile, "It makes me feel better knowing you're all on my side."

"Dude, relax. Jessie's a pretty understanding girl. She would be willing to hear your side of the story. That's even if she's mad at you," Geoff said, further reassuring the mechanic.

Cody and Noah both approached, already in their tuxedoes. Cody was wearing a reddish-brown tux, almost like mahogany. Noah's tuxedo was a bit more boring, as he was wearing a dark beige colored tuxedo, almost like wet sand.

Joseph raised an eyebrow and said, "You two certainly got your tuxedoes on quickly enough."

The know-it-all shrugged and said, "One of my siblings got married a month before the competition started. I haven't forgotten how to put on a tuxedo in that time."

"And I went to a formal dance at my school at the end of the school year," Cody added.

Mikey chuckled and said, "I'll be lucky if I remember how to put on a tux properly. I haven't worn one since my cousin's wedding when I was eleven."

Everyone shared a laugh before Cody said, "Well, we found something interesting."

"Really? Do tell, what did you find," Joseph asked.

"Apparently Chris thought we would get bored waiting an hour and a half so he gave us a big TV and an Xbox. Once we get dressed, is anyone up for Call of Duty or Marvel vs. Capcom," Noah stated, smirking slightly.

Mikey grinned and said, "Oh, you know it! Wait, which versions of the games?"

Cody tapped his chin and remarked, "Um, I think the Call of Duty was Black Ops but I remember the Marvel vs. Capcom was Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3."

Mikey smiled and said, "I'll play any of you guys in UMvC3."

Geoff clapped the gamer on the shoulder and said, "Let's get into our tuxedoes first dude."

"Yeah, you don't want to get caught up in your game and then be unprepared," Nicholas added, bringing his tuxedo with him to one of the stalls to change.

Mikey frowned and agreed, "Yeah, that would not end well I think."

"Well said dude. Well, let's get changed, we've all got a great night ahead of us," Geoff cheered again as he and Mikey went into stalls to change.

Joseph was the last to claim a stall and he thought out loud, "I suppose many of us will remember tonight, but to the person who is eliminated, I can bet they would want to forget this, don't you think?"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: You know, back home I'm a bit of a genius when it comes to video games. I'm able to pick up how most games work after only one or two levels, matches, whatever. Like when I played Marvel vs. Capcom, it only took two matches before I determined what I was doing and how to win.

Geoff: Dudes, this is gonna be so wicked! Me and my girl are gonna rock this prom, even if we aren't king and queen! Woo!

Cody: To be honest, I'm kind of nervous. Despite how I may act, I've never had a girlfriend before, so I don't want to screw this up. On top of that, my first date is going to be a prom. So I have all reason to be nervous.

* * *

Girl's Locker Room

Upon entering the locker room, the females were surprised to see Katie, Sadie and Lindsay, who the rookies recognized but did not actually know. "Katie, Sadie, Lindsay," Bridgette exclaimed, "What are you three doing here?"

"Hi Belinda! Chip told us that we needed to be here in case you wanted makeovers before you go to prom," Lindsay happily chirped as she gave Bridgette and Izzy a hug. Lindsay hesitated when she got to Courtney. The CIT looked uncertainly at Lindsay before extending her hand for a handshake, which Lindsay cautiously accepted.

Once Lindsay was done, Katie and Sadie gestured to a couple of salon stations set up so the girls could get prepared. Katie smiled and asked, "So who's first?"

"I guess I'll go, since nobody else seems to be volunteering," Courtney said as she went to Katie.

"Anybody else want a makeover? We can give you a new hairdo, help apply makeup, or even something as simple as painting your nails," Sadie offered, smiling at the five remaining girls.

"Makeup isn't really my thing, but I could go for a new hairdo," Bridgette said as she approached Sadie, "Could you do that?"

The chubbier BFFFL nodded and replied, "Of course! Chris told us to do anything to help you prepare."

Izzy grinned crazily and asked, "Anything at all?"

Sadie bit her lip and said, "Within reason, of course. We can't help you unless it directly has to do with getting you ready for tonight."

"Drat," Izzy said as she snapped her fingers.

Megan raised an eyebrow and stated, "I don't even want to know what you had in mind."

"So like, does anybody want me to do their makeup or hair or something," Lindsay asked, a half-smile upon her face.

Emily smiled and said, "Sure, I'd love to get my hair changed and maybe a makeover."

"Oh my God! This is going to be so fun," Lindsay exclaimed as she excitedly ran over to the chair and Emily followed her.

Megan turned to Jennifer and asked, "Well, they have a ton of makeup here. You want to help each other with makeup while Bridgette, Courtney and Emily get their hair and makeup done?"

"I don't see why not," Jennifer said with a shrug as the two proceeded to get some makeup supplies. While they were all getting ready, nobody had seen Izzy slip away unseen.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: I don't need to look all pretty for a dance! I'd probably ruin it by the end of the night anyway! So why bother do something that'll get ruined anyways?

Emily: You know, it was a lot of fun talking to Lindsay. I'm not sure why so many people are mean to her. Yes, she's not the smartest person, but when it comes to something that's important to her, she can carry on a conversation for quite a while.

* * *

At four-thirty, all the teens exited their locker rooms and saw the gym was decorated for a prom. There were streamers and balloons decorating the walls and several tables were set up off to the side. By the doors was a long table with punch, a cake, and other snacks. On the side of the gym opposite the tables was a couple of DJ tables set up and Chef standing behind them, in his DJ attire from the Total Drama Action finale.

Chris was standing in the center of the gym and said, "Welcome students, to your Total Drama Prom! Tonight, you may do whatever you wish to spend your prom. You can spend the whole night dancing on the dance floor or just talk while sitting at a table. The choice is yours. While you are all eating your dinner, I will have the eliminated contestants vote for who they want Prom king and queen to be. Then, at six-thirty, I will announce the prom king and queen, who will receive immunity in the vote that will take place immediately after I announce the winners. So with that in mind, have fun kiddies!"

When Chris walked away to watch over the festivities with Chef Hatchet, the contestants finally got a chance to look at their dates in their tuxedo or dress. Cody glanced over to Emily and saw her in a shimmering golden dress. "Wow, you look beautiful," Cody complimented.

Giggling, Emily replied, "You don't look too bad yourself."

Megan was wearing a light lavender, almost lilac-colored dress and her brown hair was let down as opposed to its usual ponytail.

Mikey approached her and said, "You look like the most beautiful person I have ever seen. If I hadn't asked you out yesterday, I would do it right now."

"Well, that dark green tuxedo makes you look more handsome than usual so I would probably agree," Megan joked back as the couple hugged quickly.

"Dear God, you look like you're wearing a dress made to resemble you," Noah said with a tone of sarcasm as he looked at Izzy's green and orange dress.

"Well duh! Izzy's not about to wear a boring old dress," the psychotic teen replied as she did a backflip.

Bridgette quickly noticed Geoff was wearing a dark red tuxedo, which surprised her as she figured Geoff would've worn pink. She shrugged as she embraced Geoff, who said, "Whoa Bridge, I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down. It looks amazing! And your dress is the perfect color for you."

Looking down at her blue dress with different shades of blue layered down the dress, making it slightly resemble an ocean wave, Bridgette commented, "Aw, thanks Geoff. I thought it looked great at the store."

Joseph was wearing a standard black tuxedo and approached Courtney, who was wearing a light green dress, a couple of shades lighter than her pants, and said, "My, you look beautiful tonight."

Courtney raised an eyebrow and said, "Just remember that I have a boyfriend. I doubt Duncan would be too happy about you romancing me. Also, why the black tux? There were clearly other colors."

"Let's just say that I am a sucker for tradition," Joseph replied, a smile on his face.

Nicholas approached Jennifer, who was wearing a crimson red dress and said, "To be honest, I didn't expect you to wear a dress that in that color. Not to stereotype or anything but I assumed you would be wearing a blue or green dress."

"Well, if I had worn blue we would have looked alike, wouldn't we," Jennifer replied.

Nicholas looked down at his dark blue tuxedo and chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose we would." After the six couples grouped up, they spread out to enjoy the night.

* * *

Dance Floor

Geoff, Bridgette, Mikey, Megan, Izzy, and by extension Noah were all on the dance floor, dancing to the typical party songs that were playing, with the exception of Noah.

Noah was being flung around by Izzy, who was flailing around, trying to dance to the music. Mikey glanced at Noah, who had a look on his face that said 'Kill me now.'

"I feel for you bro," Mikey called out as Noah passed by. After the oddest couple passed by, Mikey turned to his girlfriend and said, "Poor Noah. I doubt he's going to enjoy himself tonight."

"Yeah, it's too bad for him, but in all reality any of the guys could have been with Izzy, emphasis on could," the nice girl replied.

"I'm guessing the guys with girlfriends were safe," the gamer suggested.

Megan nodded and said, "That's right. There's no way I would let you anywhere near Izzy alone. I still remember what she did to you. First the broken ribs and then the concussion, I swear she's like a bull in a china shop."

"I really, really hate to correct you, but that phrase isn't valid. There's a show called Mythbusters where they test urban legends and seeming unreal stories among other things and in one episode they tried to see if a bull broke everything in a china shop mockup they made. It actually avoided all the shelves. But still, Izzy's too crazy to be left alone with anyone. That's why I feel sorry for Noah," Mikey explained.

Megan nodded and said, "How she manages to go to public school is, wait, bulls avoid breaking china?" Mikey smiled and continued to dance with his girlfriend.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: To be honest, it felt kind of weird dancing with Megan. I mean, I know we're great friends and all, but to be at a prom for our first date feels strange.

Megan: This is great! I mean, I get to go on what feels like a real date and I get to experience prom. Plus knowing that this is a challenge makes it the easiest challenge ever.

* * *

Elsewhere on the dance floor, Geoff and Bridgette were dancing when the current song stopped and a slow one started. Though the two were surprised, they were prepared as they began to dance together quite elegantly.

"You know Geoff," Bridgette said, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as they danced to the music, "I've always wanted us to dance like this at one of your parties, but we never got the chance."

Geoff looked down at his surfer girlfriend and remarked, "Really? Well, we can add some slow songs to the next party, if you want."

"I would like that," came the surfer's reply.

"Hey Bridge? I was wondering, when the time comes, if you would like to go to my actual prom, at my school," the party boy asked as they continued to move to the music.

Bridgette raised her head from Geoff's shoulder and said, "Oh, Geoff, of course I would." She then brought her head to his and the two began to kiss, albeit only a little bit so that they wouldn't start making out on the dance floor.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: I don't know why Geoff thought I wouldn't go to his prom with him. I mean, I love him so why wouldn't I want to go with him? The only reason I can think of is the distance between where we live but I would make the trip, just for him.

* * *

Joseph, Courtney, Nicholas, Jennifer, Cody and Emily were all sitting at the tables in the gym at the current moment, all for different reasons.

"Come now Courtney, this is an enjoyable challenge for once. We literally don't have to do anything and we're guaranteed to go to the next round," Joseph reasoned, trying to enjoy the challenge.

Courtney shook her head and said, "No Joseph, not right now. As you said, we don't have to do anything, so why not relax for a few minutes. I really want to dance, but right now, I just feel like sitting down and resting. Besides, the heels I'm wearing start to kill my feet after a half hour, so do this so I can go through as little pain as possible."

Joseph shrugged and replied, "Fine, as you wish. Though I do hope we will get to do some dancing because if we aren't then I want a refund on this tuxedo." "

Chris was paying for it though. We should get that tightwad to spend as much money as humanly possible," Courtney replied, "I mean, he's made many of us suffer through three seasons counting this one, although this season isn't too bad."

Joseph merely shrugged and said, "I'll take your word for it, as I barely know Chris."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Upon closer examination, it seems that Courtney is more annoying that I thought. I've used her enough to accomplish my goals. She's unwittingly helped me get at least four people eliminated, including her nemesis, Gwen. Good thing too, as Gwen may have caught on. I don't know when the right time will be, but soon I have to sever my ties with Courtney.

* * *

At a different table sat Nicholas, Jennifer, Cody and Emily. The four teens were telling stories of their friends back home. "Yeah, when I went to junior prom last year, it wasn't that great. I mean the food was pretty good and I was able to hang out with my friends but aside from that it was pretty boring," Nicholas said with a shrug.

Cody took a sip of punch and replied, "Really? Because all the people I know who went to their proms said that it was one of the best nights of their lives."

Nicholas drummed his fingers on the table as he replied, "That may be true for them, but seeing as how my interests deal with cars, I would find a trip to a classic car show to be highly enjoyable."

Emily spoke up, "Just as everyone has different interests, everyone has a different idea as to what the most enjoyable activity would be."

Cody smiled and said, "Well put Emily."

"Oh, I'm not denying that. Quite the opposite, I fully acknowledge the fact that everybody finds different things enjoyable. It's just that those things don't necessarily interest me," Nicholas commented before adding, "Not trying to be a dick and destroy your argument, by the way."

"Oh, don't worry. I knew what you meant. You were just trying to defend yourself," Emily replied with a smile.

It was quiet for a moment before Nicholas turned to his "date" and asked, "Hey Jennifer, are you alright? You haven't said much the entire evening."

The performing artist shrugged and said, "Yeah, I guess. I just don't feel right doing this without Trent being here, you know? Prom is supposed to be a special night for couples and without him here I just don't feel comfortable."

The mechanic nodded and said, "Trust me, I know how you feel. I honestly would give anything to let Jessie be my date, no offense to you of course. Hell, I would drop out of the game right now if she and I could share a few dances."

Emily snuggled up to Cody and asked, "Cody, would you do something like that for me if I was already eliminated?"

The tech geek nodded and told his girlfriend, "Of course Emily. Our relationship is worth way more than this contest, at least in my opinion."

"Good answer," the dancer giggled as she kissed Cody on the cheek.

Nicholas turned to Jennifer and said, "Jennifer, the way I see it, we can sit here and mope about Trent and Jessie not being here, or we can dance a little bit and enjoy ourselves. What do you say?"

"I guess a little dancing won't hurt," Jennifer said as she somewhat reluctantly got up to dance with Nicholas.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: Looking back, I don't know why I was so reluctant to do this. Yes I'm sad that Trent isn't here, but thanks to Nicholas I learned that I shouldn't lament him not being here. I need to fight even harder now so I can win for the two of us.

* * *

Chris entered what used to be the teacher's lounge of the high school. He smiled and looked at the twelve people gathered in the room. "Well, how are you enjoying watching the remaining competitors, and how many of you want to be out there with them," Chris asked, looking at the twelve eliminated contestants that were in the room with him.

"Chris, that was a stupid question. Of course I want to be out there with Jennifer," Trent said, glancing at the host.

Jessie looked down from one of the T.V. monitors in the room and somewhat quietly said, "And I would rather be the one dancing with Nicholas."

Chris lost his signature grin for a moment and replied, "Well, it was obvious what you two thought. I was actually wondering more about the other ten of you."

"Please," Heather replied with a roll of her eyes, "There is no way I would want to dance with any of those losers."

Gwen scoffed and rolled her eyes before replying, "With that attitude I will be amazed if you ever get a boyfriend."

"Sorry Weird Goth Girl, but I've already had at least six boyfriends," Heather replied, a smug grin on her face.

"Was that before or after you first went on this show," Gwen shot back.

The queen bee shrugged and said, "Well, I broke up with my last boyfriend before going on this hellish show."

"And after all the crap you've done while on this show, I doubt you'll ever have another one," Gwen stated while narrowing her eyes.

"You think I care what you think? As if," Heather angrily replied.

Alexander, noticing the two fighting girls, developed a mischievous grin and said, "If you two are gonna keep fighting about this, how about we make it interesting? Gwen, you're betting that Heather can't get a boyfriend and Heather is betting she can. So for a wager, Heather has to get a boyfriend out of the single contestants before the end of next season. If she does, she wins. If she doesn't Gwen wins. Loser has to eat their bra."

Gwen frowned and said, "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why? Afraid you won't like the taste of your bra," Heather snidely asked.

Gwen glared at her nemesis and said, "That's it Heather! You're on!"

"Girl, are you sure about this," Leshawna asked.

Gwen turned to her best friend and nodded before saying, "Don't worry Leshawna. People know who Heather is. I doubt she can win anyone over with her black heart."

"I hear that girl," Leshawna smirked as she glanced at Heather.

The queen bee turned away and muttered, "I don't care what you losers think."

Meanwhile, many of the others were surprised by what had just transpired. The first to recover was Julie, who raised an eyebrow and asked, "So Alexander, any reason why you made the wager so that the loser had to eat their bra?"

The Hispanic slacker chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he replied, "Oh no reason. Just felt like mixing things up."

Danny caught on to what Julie was getting at as he said, "I think there was a reason why you suggested the terms of the bet."

"I'm telling you guys, there was no reason. If you think there is, then tell me, what could I have wanted," Alexander argued back.

Julie thought for a moment before Danny whispered something in her ear. The optimist called out, "You wanted to see a bra!"

Alexander blinked in surprise and said, "I suppose that is true, but only if it were my girlfriend's bra. And only if she were showing it to me right before we-."

"Whoa! Too much information buddy," William called out.

"I don't get it, eh. What do yoo mean it was too much infurmation," Ezekiel asked, confused about what the crazy guy meant.

William pat Ezekiel on the shoulder and said, "I will tell you when you know more about the slang us teenagers use. Or when civilization ends as we know it and we are forced to become the slaves to a race of superior aliens. Whichever comes first."

Ezekiel scratched his head under his toque and replied, "Um, okay?"

Rebecca giggled and said, "Hey Ezekiel, if you need help learning slang, I'm sure William would help you right?"

"Huh? Um, sure I guess. I don't know if he can handle my slang training though," William shrugged.

"You have slang training," Trent asked, highly confused.

William nodded and replied, "Yeah man, don't you?"

Trent shook his head and said, "No, I don't. I don't think anyone does."

Rebecca pat William's shoulder and said, "Well, slang training or not, I'll help you out William. You're my friend and friends stick together, am I right?"

"If that's the case, then wacky glue is everybody's friend. Get it," William joked as everyone else face-palmed.

It was at this moment that Chris walked in and said, "Hey guys, it's time for you all to vote for which couple you want to win prom king and queen. After you all vote, Chef will take you back to the aftermath studio."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Trent: It's kind of obvious that I'm voting Jennifer and Nicholas for prom king and queen. I'll do all I can to try to get her to win, even if I'm eliminated.

Gwen: I feel really happy for Mikey and Megan, but my vote is going to Geoff and Bridgette. Bridgette's like my best friend and she deserves this.

Heather: I really don't like any of these losers but if I have to pick one person, I may as well pick the one who outsmarted me. I vote for Joseph and Courtney.

* * *

Once all of the ex-contestants had voted and gotten on the bus to leave for the aftermath studio, Chris entered the gym. The teens had been busy eating dinner when Chris took to the center of the dance floor. With a microphone in hand, the host said, "Hello students! Enjoying the dance?"

A chorus of positive replies (and a negative one from Noah) met the host, who smiled and said, "Good! Now who's ready to learn who prom king and queen are?" Many of those who had replied earlier cheered again, this time hoping to learn if they won immunity.

Chris glanced at a piece of paper that he had in his hand and said, "Well, to be honest, most of the couples here got at least one vote from the eliminated contestants. However, the couple that got the most votes, won immunity and are hereby crowned king and queen of the Chris McLean High School prom is Geoff and Bridgette!"

Many of the contestants cheered and congratulated the couple, though none were cheering louder than Geoff himself. "Dudes! This is like, so totally awesome! Man, you cannot believe how stoked I am right now," Geoff happily shouted out.

Bridgette hugged her boyfriend and added, "Hey Geoff. If we can become prom king and queen here, we can probably become king and queen at your prom."

Geoff grinned even wider and said, "Hell yeah we can! Woo!"

Chris chuckled and said, "Well, it's been a long day so elimination is in half an hour. Geoff and Bridgette are immune. You all know what to do."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Well, it's time for the next phase of my plan to go into action. It's nothing personal; it's just the most strategic move.

* * *

Joseph approached a group of people sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria. "Hello all," Joseph greeted cheerfully, "How did you like the challenge?"

One of the males at the table smiled and said, "I loved it. I got to spend time with my girl and got a free tuxedo out of it."

Another person, the girlfriend of the first guy that just responded, nodded and added, "Yeah, I think it was a perfect night."

Another one of the people sitting at the table shrugged and said, "To be honest, I thought it was going to be way worse."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you all thought it went well. Now, I'm here for a legitimate reason. You see, I think I've determined who is behind all of these odd eliminations. This person has been behind it all from the start." Joseph leaned in closer to the three people and whispered the name of his next target and inwardly smirked as his plan worked to perfection.

"That's not a problem for me," one of the two males said, "I was gonna vote for them anyways."

* * *

Noah was heading towards where he was told to meet Courtney. According to what Joseph had told him, the overachiever had told Courtney to meet with Noah so they could discuss who was meant to be eliminated that night. Joseph had also claimed that he would be busy, so that is why he was sending Noah. Noah shook his head to dispel the confusing thoughts as he approached Courtney, who was sitting down in the library, reading one of the books.

Courtney looked up and saw Noah before saying, "You know, Chris told me that all the books in this library were going to be destroyed somehow when this school gets torn down. It's a damn shame."

"It certainly is," Noah nodded in agreement before he said, "Well, I may as well get this over with. Joseph told me we were voting for Mikey. Something about being too friendly and having too many allies."

"Are you sure? Mikey's one of the better liked contestants. I don't think that even with Joseph's abilities to convince people that he would get voted off," Courtney replied back with a confused look on her face.

"That's exactly what I was thinking when he told me this," Noah said, crossing his arms.

Courtney shook her head and said, "This doesn't make any sense then. I get that he's trying to pick off some of the other contestants, but both Jennifer and Nicholas are still somewhat grieving the eliminations of Trent and Jessie respectively. They would be much easier targets."

Noah looked up from one of the books that he was looking at and said to Courtney, "I have a theory about why he asked this, but I'm not completely sure about it."

"Let me hear it," Courtney said, an intrigued look on her face.

The know it all sighed before saying, "I think Joseph plans on double-crossing one of us."

The CIT looked shocked before shouting, "Noah! How could you think that!"

"Shut up! Not so loud! If someone hears us, we're both screwed! But Courtney, in all seriousness, think about it. Joseph sends me to tell you who to vote for when he could just as easily do so himself. This would then free him up to go around and convince others to vote for one of us without either of us knowing about it," Noah explained.

Courtney looked at Noah and said in an accusatory tone, "And how do I know you're not trying to psyche me out and fall for Joseph's trap?"

"I can't prove to you that he's going to double cross one of us and I can't prove I'm not trying to psyche you out. All I ask is that you trust me on this. You can vote for Joseph or not, but if either of us get eliminated, let's agree that the other takes Joseph down," Noah reasoned, trying to win over Courtney.

"And should neither of us get eliminated today? What happens then," Courtney asked, still unsure as to what she should do.

The know it all extended his hand and replied, "Then we can forget this entire conversation ever happened. What do you say? Are we in agreement?"

The CIT thought for a couple second before shaking Noah's hand and saying, "Deal."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: For a while now I've suspected Joseph was up to no good. I told Courtney not to vote for him lest he get suspicious. On the other hand, if I vote for him perhaps that will scare him into thinking somebody is on to him. That's why I'm voting for Joseph.

Mikey: Well, Courtney was Gwen's worst enemy, aside from Heather, and Gwen was one of my best friends, so I suppose I vote for Courtney. Besides, it's not like there's anyone else I want to vote for.

Bridgette: I don't really know who to vote for. I like most of the people here. If I have to pick one person, I guess I pick Noah, because he's a bit rude when he's sarcastic.

Courtney: Well, Noah said that for the plan to work, we have to vote the way Joseph wanted us to. So sorry Mikey, but I'm voting for you. I don't want to vote this way but it's the only way to avoid Joseph learning of my deal with Noah.

* * *

The twelve competitors were seated in the auditorium, now in their normal clothes. Chris had also changed back into his regular attire and approached the podium. He grinned and said, "Alright, time for another one of you teens to get the boot! You should all know how this works by now. If you get a hall pass, you're safe. The student that does not get a hall pass must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers and you cannot come back ever! The first hall passes go to our immunity winners, Geoff and Bridgette!"

The party boy and surfer girl got their hall passes and shared a celebratory kiss. "The next hall passes go to Nicholas, Jennifer, Cody, Emily, Izzy and Megan," Chris announced as the six teens claimed their items of immunity.

Chris grinned at the final four remaining without a hall pass. Joseph looked downright shocked that he was in the bottom four. Mikey looked shocked as well, but he had more of a look of confusion on his face. Courtney frowned and crossed her arms, but otherwise remained emotionless. Noah just sat back in the auditorium's chair, a somewhat bored expression on his face.

Chris looked between all the teens before finally saying, "Joseph, you are also immune." The overachiever let out a sigh of relief as he got up and claimed his hall pass.

Megan started to grow worried now that Mikey was in the bottom three. As for the gamer, he crossed his arms and squeezed his upper left arm due to how nervous he was. "Mikey, you are also safe," the host stated as the gamer finally relaxed and joined his girlfriend.

It was down to the final two, Noah and Courtney. Courtney and Noah glanced at each other, each with a completely different expression on their face. Courtney's was of utter shock while Noah's facial expression seemed to say 'I told you so.' The tension in the air was thick as Chris said, "Noah, Courtney, there is but one hall pass left. And it goes to…"

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"Noah. Courtney, you have been eliminated," Chris finished as the know-it-all got up to claim his hall pass.

After Noah claimed his immunity item, he paused at Courtney before going to the rest of the group. Extending a hand, he said, "Better luck next time Courtney."

Courtney closed her eyes for a second before shaking Noah's hand and replying, "Thanks Noah. Good luck in the rest of the contest."

After shaking Noah's hand, the CIT turned to the rest of the remaining contestants and said, "Well, I suppose after all I did to Gwen I deserve this. Good luck everybody."

With those parting words, Courtney walked out of the auditorium and into the hallway. She proceeded to head toward the bus of losers when she heard a voice call out, "Hey Courtney! Wait up!"

She turned to see that it was Joseph who had told her to wait. Remembering that her agreement with Noah was a secret, she replied, "Oh hey Joseph."

"Do you mind if I walk you outside," the overachiever asked.

"Um sure, I guess," Courtney replied uncertainly.

The two teens walked outside where a steady rain was just picking up. The two stood under an overhang to avoid getting soaked by the rain. Courtney turned to Joseph and said, "Well, good luck Joseph. At least we all made it to the merge."

Joseph glared at Courtney and said, "Shut up Courtney."

"Excuse me? What did you say," the CIT replied, offended.

"I said shut up. I only came out here to gloat about my victory. You see, I betrayed you. I simply told everyone that you were responsible for Gwen's elimination, as well as a couple of other people. And since you aren't coming back to the game, I may as well tell you my future plans," the overachiever cockily said.

Courtney glared back and asked, "Oh really? And just what are those plans?"

Joseph smiled darkly and said, "I'm glad you asked. You see, now all I need to do is take out the biggest intellectual threats, not counting Noah. I'll shape this game so the final four is myself, Noah, Geoff and Nicholas. I'll betray Noah and then defeating those two will be a snap with my intellect."

"You're despicable," Courtney spat at the overachiever.

"Your words don't sting in the least my dear, because I'm here and you're gone," Joseph countered, turning his back to head into the school, "It was a pleasure working with you."

Not wanting to let Joseph get away that easily, Courtney shouted, "You may have gotten rid of me, but I've got a partner! He'll be the one to take you down!"

Whirling around with anger in his eyes, Joseph demanded, "Who is it! Tell me at once!"

Courtney shouted, "I'll never rat Mikey out!" There was silence for a few seconds before the CIT muttered, "Aw, damn it."

"Mikey huh? Looks like I've found my next target. Thanks for the tip Courtney," Joseph said as he turned around and re-entered the school.

Once the overachiever was out of earshot, Courtney said quietly, "For someone so devious, I'm surprised you didn't catch me lying." The CIT then turned around and boarded the bus of losers and it drove away, the rain picking up even more.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Courtney: Well, I knew from the start that that alliance was a bad idea. Why I didn't listen to myself I'll never know. But now hopefully Noah realizes I threw Joseph off his game. But now it's up to Noah, as well as everyone else, to take that douchebag down. I'm rooting for all of you! And Mikey, if you ever find out what happened, I'm sorry I singled you out. I just figured you would be the hardest to get rid of, what with all the friends you have.

* * *

Chris sat in his office grinning wildly at the newest set of events and said, "Well after an excited day of dancing and fun, Courtney has been eliminated! Will Noah realize how Courtney managed to trick Joseph? Will Joseph realize he was tricked? And will any of the others see Joseph coming before it's too late? Find out the answers to these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Courtney – 8 (Joseph, Mikey, Megan, Cody, Emily, Nicholas, Jennifer, Izzy)

Joseph – 1 (Noah)

Noah – 2 (Bridgette, Geoff)

Mikey – 1 (Courtney)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney

Contestants Remaining: Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, Emily, Mikey, Megan, Izzy, Noah, Joseph, Nicholas, Jennifer (11 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

Courtney was never intended to be an antagonist and she still isn't considered to be an antagonist. Yes, she did some bad things but she was also doing them for the wrong reason. If anything, I would call her an anti-villain because as I just said, she was doing the wrong things for the wrong reason.

* * *

Well, it may have taken two months, but I updated again! I actually really liked this chapter if only because it helps set up the second half of this story. Things are only going to get heated up from here on out! Just to clear up something from the last chapter, I had Katie state that people can send in questions for the eliminated contestants. When I said that, I meant that you, my faithful readers can send me questions, in either a PM or a review and I will have them answered in the next aftermath. You can ask questions to anyone, so long as they will be present at the aftermath. That means eliminated contestants and those not competing can be asked questions. Anyways, if you could check out the new poll I have up, that would help me figure out what other story I should write besides this and Total Drama Zombieland and as always, reviews are appreciated. I think that's all for now. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: What happens when Chris has ideas he wanted to use in an earlier challenge but couldn't? He makes a whole new challenge out of them! Which of the old challenges will this be a sequel to? Find out next chapter!


	16. Chapter 13: More Sports? This Isn't Gym!

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama or its characters. I only own my own OC's.

* * *

Chris was, as he usually was, in front of the high school. He was bouncing a racquetball and looked at the camera and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! The team phase of the game was technically done as all teams were dissolved. The reason why I say technically is because the teens then had to work in pairs for the prom challenge. I figured I would be nice and give them an easy challenge after making it so far. Everyone cleaned themselves up nicely and had a good dance, where Geoff and Bridgette were named prom king and queen! Before voting, Noah went to Courtney claiming Joseph would double cross one of them and if he did, the other would avenge whoever was eliminated. After the votes were cast, it was clear Noah was right because Courtney was sent home, double crossed by Joseph. Before she left, Joseph revealed all his plans to her and she was able to throw him for a loop by stating she was working with Mikey. So even though the major conflicts are gone, the drama is still here! Will Joseph learn that he was tricked? How does Noah plan on avenging Courtney? And who is the most physically fit? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!" The racquetball bounced one final time and nailed Chris in the jaw. Holding his jaw, the host said, "Hey, be sure to edit that out."

* * *

The contestants on the bus were, for the most part, happy. Though one person in particular was quite upset as a result of the previous day's events. Joseph and Noah were sitting near each other, as Joseph suggested. Noah was reading a book when suddenly Joseph said, "So Courtney told me something quite interesting yesterday."

"Oh did she? What was it," Noah said with a calm demeanor but on the inside was worried she may have ratted him out.

"Apparently she was working with a partner and conspiring against me. And she told me who it was," the overachiever said, a bit of an evil grin on his face.

Noah was doing his best not to panic as he asked, "And who did she say?"

Joseph looked toward the front of the bus and replied, "Mikey. She said she was working with that gamer. I don't even know how this could have escaped my watch."

Noah's brain began to hatch a plan as he said, "Well, don't gun for him right this second. That'll never work. He's got too many friends and potential allies. If I were you and wanted to be careful about this, I would target a couple of his friends to weaken him."

"Noah my friend, I am glad you're as smart as you are. I would not have thought of that in my current state," Joseph replied, a grin on his face.

'I just hope I know what I'm doing,' Noah thought as he went back to reading his book.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: It may take a bit longer to take out Mikey now, but Noah is right. In order to defeat him, he must be weakened first. Get rid of a few of his friends and he'll be easy pickings.

Noah: As I told Courtney, I would take Joseph down. I have a plan in place, but unfortunately it will involve some heartbreak along the way. You see, I plan on making as many people bitter as possible. The easiest way to do this is to eliminate their boyfriend or girlfriend. Then, when the timing is just right, I will reveal that Joseph was in an alliance the entire time and he was the one behind the eliminations. That way, all of the remaining people will want him gone as soon as possible. I may end up going down with him, but if that's what I must do to make sure that asshole doesn't win, so be it. Now I just need to make sure a couple of people in relationships go home before I decide to reveal the truth behind everything. (He pauses for a few seconds) I just realized how risky this plan is. I can only hope that it actually works.

* * *

At the front of the bus sat the prom king and queen from the previous day's challenge. The two, along with Mikey and Megan, were exhausted from a party Geoff threw on account of him winning the challenge. Said party boy currently had his hat tipped down over his eyes and was trying to take a nap. Across the aisle from him was the gamer, who was also taking a nap, as evidenced by his head angled downwards and his eyes being closed. This left Bridgette and Megan to talk.

"So how are things going with Mikey," Bridgette asked.

Megan smiled and replied, "Oh things are great! We really connected during that dance last night. And he's such a gentleman, too. I think tonight when we get back from the challenge he said something about going over to his room. He also assured me that it was just to watch a movie."

Bridgette smiled and said, "Oh, I don't think he would try anything out of line with you. From what Geoff tells me, he's madly in love with you. I doubt he would do something to screw things up between you."

"Yeah, you're right. Did you and Geoff have fun last night," the nice girl asked her surfer friend.

Bridgette nodded and answered, "Definitely. I could tell he was really excited for the dance and then being named prom king must've really made him happy. Since he was really happy, he was doing things that made me happy."

Megan raised an eyebrow and asked, "So when he's sad, he does things to make you sad?"

The surfer shook her head and said, "Not exactly. Well, first of all he's rarely sad and when he is, he still tries to make me happy. I'm usually the one who makes him happy though through our make-out sessions."

"Huh. I never knew kissing could make a guy so happy," Megan commented.

Bridgette giggled and said, "You and Mikey haven't made out very much then, have you?" The nice girl blushed as Bridgette giggled some more.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Megan: I don't want to go on and on about Mikey, but he really is a great guy. I would be devastated if anything happened to him which is why I have to keep an eye on Izzy now. For some reason, she's the reason every time he's gotten injured so far.

Bridgette: The prom last night was a welcome change to the challenges so far. Actually, all of the challenges have seemed kind of tame compared to the past two seasons. I don't know if it's because they're based on school subjects or if Chris is running out of ideas to hurt us, but I kind of like it.

* * *

Nicholas was sitting near Cody and Emily and was trying to listen to his iPod. The key word here being 'trying.'

"Aw Cody, you flatter me," Emily giggled as her cheeks adopted a rosy hue.

Cody had his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder as he said, "But it's true! You really were the most beautiful girl on the dance floor."

Emily hugged the tech geek and said, "Aw, come on. I'm not that pretty am I?"

"Yes you are. You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen," Cody said back.

"Well you're one of the most handsome guys I've ever seen," Emily replied, kissing Cody's cheek.

Nicholas took his headphones off and said, "Would you two please stop with all your love talk? Or at the very least, could you quiet down about it?"

"Whoa dude, calm down. I didn't mean to upset you," Cody said, putting his hands up in defense.

"You may not have meant to upset me, but you did," Nicholas said before sighing, "Look, I'm just upset about Jessie being gone. I really miss her and seeing all this romance is like kicking me when I'm already down."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but unfortunately that's the way the votes were cast. It's sad to think about it, but we're all going to get eliminated sooner or later, except for two people. And while I hope it would be Cody and I, it could be any of us in the final two," Emily said apologetically.

The mechanic looked out the window and said, "Yeah, I know most people are going to get eliminated, but why did she have to be eliminated then? Why couldn't she have stuck around?"

"Sadly, I do not know the answer to that question," Cody said as he put his hand on Nicholas' shoulder, "You were so confident before, what happened?"

"I was certain Danny was somehow behind Jessie's elimination and now that I defeated him, I'm content. I know I should fight on, but I feel as if I don't have any incentive," Nicholas replied with a sigh.

Emily gasped and said, "You need a reason to fight on? What about Jessie? Fight on for her, and don't ever give up. She'll be happier if you try your best. Trust me, girls know these things."

Nicholas looked to the two teens before he smiled and a determined look appeared in his eyes and he said, "You know what? You're right! If I'm not going to try anymore, I may as well give up now! Thanks for the advice guys."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Nicholas: That little pep talk was exactly what I needed. Jessie wanted me to try my hardest and damn it, that's what I'm gonna do! Look out world, here comes Nicholas!

* * *

At another area of the bus, Izzy was chattering away to an amused Jennifer. "So anyways, once I sprayed silly string all over the entire squadron, I jumped into the tank they had on base and drove it around. Apparently that's illegal or something. But then when I accidentally clipped a building and it started to collapse a little, that's when I really got in trouble," the crazed redhead said excitedly.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow and asked, "So that's how you got in trouble with the RCMP?"

Izzy cocked her head to the side and replied, "The RCMP? No, this all happened in a video game."

"A video game," Jennifer incredulously asked, "Wait, so why are you telling me this if it was just a video game?"

"I was just trying to be funny and make you feel better," Izzy explained with a shrug.

"Why do you think I'm not feeling well," Jennifer asked.

Izzy, in a moment of complete seriousness, placed a hand on the performing artist's shoulder and said, "Look, I know you've been sad ever since Trent was eliminated. That's why I'm telling you such an outrageous story. I'm trying to cheer you up."

Jennifer smiled and removed the crazy girl's hand from her shoulder and said, "Izzy, you don't need to worry about me. During yesterday's challenge I realized that Trent doesn't need to be here for me to have fun. Sure, I would prefer it if he were here, but he doesn't need to be here."

Developing a grin Izzy said, "Well then, that means we can do all sorts of crazy shenanigans, doesn't it?"

"Um, you can. I would rather not, if you don't mind," the performing artist said with a slight shudder.

"Can we at least play the video game I was talking about earlier," Izzy asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Sighing ever so slightly, Jennifer said, "I suppose."

Izzy thrust a fist into the air and cheered, "Yeah! This is gonna be awesome!"

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jennifer: To be honest, I have been kind of depressed lately. I will admit that I was sad to see Trent go. But now I know that I'll see him again and that I should try my best so when I do see him again, he can be proud of me.

* * *

The bus pulled up to the school to let the students off and they were met with Chris wearing his referee uniform again. "Another P.E. based challenge? Do you hate me or something," Noah lamented.

Chris chuckled and said, "According to the producers I'm not allowed to have favorites. Supposedly I would fix the votes that way."

"Yes, because you're not a corrupt fame-obsessed bastard," Noah sarcastically said with a roll of his eyes.

"Easy there Mr. Sarcasm. Anyways, yes, this is another P.E. challenge. Like last time, there will be three events. However in this challenge, you will all be competing for individual immunity in each event. After we have the three events, I have a couple of surprises in store before elimination," Chris said, summarizing the challenge.

Cody whispered to his girlfriend, "If he says he has a surprise for us, it can't be any good."

The dancer nodded in agreement before Joseph raised his hand and said, "I have a question. What are the challenges going to be?"

Chris smiled and replied, "I'm glad you asked. Our first challenge is a reprise from Total Drama Action. I would ask if any of you remember the mechanical surfboard riding, but none of you were there so it would be a stupid question. Basically we have set the mechanical bull-like surfboard above the surface of the pool. Whoever can stay on the longest wins. The second challenge will be purely speed-based swimming. Whoever has the fastest time will win that challenge. The third, final challenge will remain a secret for now. So with that, let's go to the gym so you can all change into your swimsuits!"

Mikey pointed his finger at Chris and shouted, "Hold It! We had no idea what this challenge would be and so our stuff is at the hotel. How do you suggest we change into the swimsuits we don't have with us?"

"Oh that's easy, we brought all of your stuff from the hotel here today," Chris said with a shrug. With that the host walked away, leading the teens toward the pool.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: A surfing challenge? I don't want to jinx myself but I think I may have this challenge in the bag.

Joseph: Speed based swimming, huh? Well looks like today will be an easy win. And that's all that matters, right?

Mikey: Am I the only one freaked out that Chris had people go into our rooms at the hotel and bring all our stuff here? At least he didn't have whoever got our things go through them to get just our swimsuits. That would be a major invasion of privacy.

Chris: I wanted to Mikey, believe me. But the producer disproved of it and legal said we could get sued so that put a damper on my plans.

* * *

The eleven remaining competitors had changed into their swimsuits and were standing by the pool looking at the mechanical surfboard rigged up over the water. There was a strange contraption on the side of the pool connected to the surfboard. The five remaining veteran contestants were wearing the same swimsuits they wore on the previous seasons. As for the rookie contestants, their swimsuits were very different. Megan wore a two piece blue bikini and Jennifer wore a green two piece bathing suit while Emily wore a one piece yellow swimsuit. Mikey was wearing a pair of grey swim trunks and Nicholas had on a red pair of swim trunks. Joseph was wearing what could be called a Speedo, though it was not skin tight and it went halfway down his upper leg in length.

When some of the contestants gave the overachiever odd looks about his black swimwear, he said, "What? This is what my swim team wears to our meets."

"Fair enough," replied Cody, who shrugged before turning to Chris, who walked into the pool area.

The host smiled and said, "Alright guys, we're going one at a time on the surfboard in a random order as determined by the order I draw names out of this hat. The order will remain constant for the entire challenge, so be sure to remember it."

"Yeah, like he won't remind us every chance he gets so he can get more screen time," Noah muttered to Nicholas, who nodded in reply.

Chris pulled a name out of the top hat and said, "Well, it looks like we're starting things off with one of the more attractive contestants! Megan you're up!"

"Hold on here! Did you of all people call my girlfriend attractive? I know she's very attractive but you're like what, 30? Are you trying to look like a pedophile," Mikey said as he threw his hands in the air.

Megan placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Mikey, don't worry, I can handle this." The nice girl turned to Chris and shouted, "Did you just call me attractive? I'm 17! Do you want people to think you're a pedophile?"

A cell phone with the Total Drama theme as its ringtone went off and Chris said, "Hold that thought."

As Chris answered his cell phone, Mikey turned to his girlfriend and asked, "You're seventeen?"

"Yep. I just turned 17 before the show started," Megan said with a smile.

Chris closed his cell phone and said, "Well, according to the producers, I'm not allowed to call contestants attractive anymore. They also thought I would look like a pedophile. Anyways, Megan, get up on that surfboard!"

The nice girl stood on the surfboard and got her balance before Chris started up the device next to the surfboard. This caused the board to move as if it were on waves, first with small waves and progressing to larger ones. "Okay I can see why Bridgette gets so much respect for doing this now," Megan said as her balance started to get worse.

Mikey supported his girlfriend by shouting, "Come on Megan! You can do it!" Bridgette and Geoff also cheered on the nice girl. It was a futile effort though because Megan fell into the water about half a minute after starting.

"And Megan ends with a solid time of 32 seconds," Chris announced as he pulled another name out of a hat, "Up next will be our tech geek Cody!"

Cody hesitantly climbed on top of the surfboard and was visibly shaking. "C'mon Cody! You can do it," Emily cheered, trying to motivate the tech geek.

Cody nodded and said, "Thanks Emily!" The waves started to pick up again and Cody began to lose his balance. "Oh God! This sucks," Cody shouted as he fell into the water of the pool.

"Well that's a shame Cody. You only lasted 24 seconds. It's too bad you couldn't do better," Chris said as he pulled another name and said, "And now we have Joseph!"

The overachiever shrugged and climbed on top of the board, preparing himself. The board started to move and Joseph commented, "Well, this isn't too bad." The waves started to pick up and his height proved to put him at a disadvantage as he soon fell into the water. "Damn it. Alright Chris, how'd I do," Joseph asked, expecting the worse.

"Well, you did better than Cody, barely. You stayed up there for 26 seconds," Chris said with a chuckle.

Joseph shrugged and said, "Eh, I figured I didn't have a shot anyways, what with Bridgette being a professional surfer."

"I'm not a professional. I just happen to be fairly talented at it," Bridgette replied to the comment made by the overachiever.

The host cleared his throat and said, "Moving on, well speak of the devil, Bridgette's up!"

The surfer stood on top of the surfboard as the waves started. Bridgette entered full surfing mode as she kept her balance for a remarkable amount of time before the waves of increasing intensity eventually caused her to fall off the board into the water. When she surfaced, Chris said, "And to no surprise, Bridgette blows everyone else away with her surfing display! She managed to keep her balance for a minute forty-two seconds! Great job Bridgette."

Geoff let out a cheer and shouted, "That's my girl!" Many of the other competitors were congratulating Bridgette as well.

Bridgette giggled and smiled at all the positive attention she was getting before saying, "Thanks guys."

Once things had settled down, Chris announced, "Alright, the next competitor will be Izzy!"

"Awesome," the crazy girl cheered as she pumped her fists in the air. Izzy jumped onto the board like a ninja and said, "Start it up Chris! This is exciting!"

"If you say so," the host said as he started up the wave simulator. As usual, the waves started out slow. However, once they started to pick up in intensity, Izzy started to cackle wildly. At the crest of a particularly large wave, Izzy leaped into the air and begun to spin as she plummeted toward the pool. When she made contact, she created a large splash that managed to hit many of the competitors as well as Chris.

"Damn it Izzy! You got my hair wet! And since you jumped off the board instead of fell off, I'm disqualifying you from this part of the challenge! You can't win immunity for this part," Chris said, slightly upset.

"Whoa dude, major harshness," Geoff whispered to Mikey, who nodded in reply.

Chris took a deep breath and said, "Well, moving on, it's now Emily's turn!"

Cody cheered, "You can do it Emily!"

"Thanks Cody," the dancer shouted back in appreciation.

Chris started up the wave simulator once again and said, "Here we go!" As with everyone before her, Emily was having little trouble until the stronger waves started.

"Uh oh. It's getting a bit harder to stay balanced," Emily muttered under her breath as the waves picked up. The entire time she was up there many contestants were cheering her on, though Cody was cheering the loudest. Despite the positive reinforcement, Emily soon met a fate like everyone else.

She fell into the water and Chris announced, "And Emily takes second place with a time of 34 seconds!"

"Great job Emily. You may not have beaten Bridgette, but you did much better than I did," Cody congratulated his girlfriend.

Emily hugged the tech geek and said, "Aw, don't put yourself down Cody. It's much tougher than it looks."

Cody chuckled and said, "You can say that again."

"And next up is Nicholas," Chris announced as people stopped congratulating the dancer.

The mechanic cracked his knuckles and said, "Alright. Let's do this!" Nicholas climbed aboard the surfboard and it started to move once again. "Okay, this is kind of tough," Nicholas remarked as the waves started to become stronger. Eventually, he too was thrown off the board and into the pool.

As the mechanic surfaced, Chris announced, "And it looks like Nicholas will not make the top three with a time of 30 seconds."

"Seriously? Damn, I need to really bring my A-game the next two challenges," was Nicholas' reply.

"Moving on, it looks like next up is Noah," Chris announced.

"Joy," Noah sarcastically replied as he proceeded to climb aboard the surfboard. The wave simulator started up and it was clear Noah was not going to last long, as he was having trouble with the easy waves. After a short while, he lost his balance and fell into the waters below.

"Well, Noah set a new low time. He only managed to stay on for 21 seconds," Chris said, amused that Noah did so pathetically at the challenge.

Noah smirked and said, "What? You expected more of a nerd that sits inside and plays computer games all day?"

"Good point," Chris said as he announced, "Let's see if Mikey does any better!"

Mikey shrugged and said, "Well, I don't really have much of a choice, do I? Let's see how tough this is." The gamer climbed aboard the surfboard and at once it started to move.

"Come on Mikey! You can do it," cheered Megan. The gamer smiled when his girlfriend cheered for him before he adopted a determined grin. That grin soon faded however, as the strengthening waves threw him off the board.

Chris looked at his stopwatch and said, "And Mikey knocks Nicholas down to fourth as he finishes right behind his girlfriend with a time of 31 seconds."

"Aw, you did a great job Mikey," Megan said as the gamer climbed out of the pool.

Mikey shrugged and said, "I wasn't trying to win because I kind of knew I wouldn't beat Bridgette."

"Moving on, it's now Jennifer's turn, meaning Geoff is going last," Chris announced the final order. The performing artist got on top of the board and once she was settled, the surfboard started to move. Like many others, she had trouble once things started picking up.

"I don't think I can stay balanced much," Jennifer said before she was thrown off the surfboard with a cry of, "Whoa!"

After she reached the surface of the pool, Chris said, "And Jennifer managed to stay on for 29 seconds. Geoff, you're up dude."

"Alright! Party on," the chill party guy proclaimed as he climbed on board the surfboard. Once it started up, it was clear that Geoff did not have the skill his girlfriend had, as he was struggling from the very beginning. Like everyone else, he soon took a dip in the pool.

Chris nodded and said, "And Geoff rounds out the first challenge with a time of 23 seconds, making Bridgette the winner of the first challenge! Congratulations Bridgette, you now get to enjoy immunity. Everyone take a ten minute break and then we will start the second part of the challenge."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I'm not surprised by the results at all. It only made sense for Bridgette to win this one because she's a surfer. The same logic can apply to the next challenge and the fact that I swim competitively will give me an advantage in the challenge.

Bridgette: To be honest, I did feel pretty confident I was going to win that challenge. I mean, Joseph had a point when he said I was like a professional. I've had far more practice than anyone else in the competition.

Izzy: I can't believe Chris can get so angry over getting his hair wet. What is he, five?

Geoff: That's my girl! I knew she could do it! Now all I gotta do is win immunity and we're both home free!

* * *

Ten minutes after the first of the three challenges, everyone was waiting by the pool again. Chris walked forward and said, "All right guys and gals, here's how things are going to work. There are ten of you who have to do this challenge, meaning we'll have two heats of three people and one of four. The winners of each of those races will move onto one final race. The winner of that final race will win the challenge. So without further ado, the first race will consist of Megan, Cody and Joseph!"

The nice girl, tech geek and overachiever all lined up on the starting blocks. Chef walked in, holding a pistol. "Why does Chef have a gun," Mikey asked, somewhat freaked out.

Emily shook where she stood and said, "I'm scared." "I don't want to die," Cody called out from his position on the starting block.

Chef rolled his eyes and said, "It's a starting pistol you fools! You know, like the ones used to start races?"

Chris nodded and said, "It only shoots blanks you guys, jeez. You teens can be so dramatic sometimes. Anyways, Chef, if you could do the honors."

"On your marks, get set, go," Chef shouted and he fired off the gun, shooting a blank into the air.

Joseph elegantly leapt into the water, or at least as elegantly as a tall teenage guy can. After taking a second to recover from the shot, Megan and Cody jumped into the water, but due to how they jumped into the water, they had to take a second to get in form for the rest of the race. By the time these two had started swimming, Joseph was already halfway down the length of the pool. Megan and Cody both tried to quickly catch up with the overachiever.

From the sidelines, Mikey turned to Emily and said, "Well, it looks like Megan and Cody are out of it."

"Yeah," the dancer agreed with a nod, "Like with the last challenge, it's difficult to beat somebody who has much more experience than us."

"Indeed," the gamer responded, turning his attention back to the challenge. Joseph had just turned around and was making his way back toward the starting point. Megan and Cody were approximately at the half way point, but Megan was a little further ahead than Cody.

"Wow, Joseph's good at this, isn't he," Jennifer asked.

Noah shrugged and said, "He is on his school's swim team for a reason." The race soon ended with Joseph claiming first place, meaning Megan and Cody were not going to win this challenge.

"Nice job Joseph, you're moving on to the next round. Next up is Izzy, Emily and Nicholas" Chris announced as Megan and Cody got out of the pool, towels waiting for them courtesy of Mikey and Emily respectively.

Mikey hugged Megan once she got her towel on and said, "It doesn't matter that you didn't win, you did a great job Megan."

"Aw, thanks Mikey," Megan replied with a smile. Cody noticed this gesture as he sat down. The crazy girl, dancer and mechanic took their places atop the starting blocks and awaited the signal to start. Chef held the pistol up in the air and fired it once, causing the three to leap into the pool.

Nicholas quickly surged ahead, determined to win immunity. Izzy, not one to be outdone, picked up speed and charged ahead. This left Emily in last place. The dancer tried her hardest to catch up with the other competitors, but her short height did not help her in this endeavor.

"Come on Emily, you can do it," Cody quietly said to himself.

Joseph, who was sitting next to Cody by pure coincidence, interjected, "You do realize that since she's on the short side, she doesn't have the best chances right? I don't mean to put her down at all, put speaking from experience, the best swimmers on my team and ones I've played against are all tall."

Cody looked up and sighed before replying, "I know, but I still want her to do well. I guess because I'm her boyfriend I feel compelled to root for her even if she's outclassed."

"That makes sense to me. Don't worry Cody, there's still the third challenge that she can win," Joseph said with a shrug.

Back with the race, Nicholas and Izzy had turned around and just passed Emily, who was about four-fifths of the way to the other end of the pool. The race was on between Izzy and Nicholas, as Emily was basically out of the race. The two kept pacing each other as they made their way back to the starting point. Eventually one pulled ahead at the last minute.

"And the winner of the second race is," Chris announced the results, "Nicholas! You will end up against Joseph in the final race! Now Noah, Mikey, Jennifer and Geoff, it's your turn to race."

"Good luck," Megan and Bridgette called to their boyfriends.

As they approached, Mikey said to Geoff, "Hey, good luck man."

"You too dude, you too," Geoff replied.

When Emily climbed out of the pool, Cody gave her a towel and said, "Hey, don't feel too bad Emily, you did great."

Emily smiled slightly and said, "Thanks, but you and I both know I was the worst of the three out there."

"And I was the worst of the three in my heat. I'm not feeling bad about it," Cody pointed out.

Emily smiled and hugged the tech geek, saying, "Aw, you're right. Thanks Cody."

The know it all, gamer, performing artist and party boy all took their positions on the starting block. Chef raised the gun and prepared to fire it. Noah muttered under his breath, "This is going to suck." Chef fired the pistol and the four competitors leapt into the water. Mikey, Geoff and Jennifer immediately pulled ahead of Noah, whose lack of physical ability quickly made itself known as a disadvantage. As the race continued, those who were not racing quickly started to voice their choices for whom they wanted to win the race.

As the race continued, Mikey started to fall behind Geoff and Jennifer, as he had the least physical ability of the three of them. By the time Geoff and Jennifer turned around, Mikey was a little bit behind and Noah was just past the half way point. Geoff and Jennifer kept trying their hardest to win, as Noah and Mikey were basically out of the running by this point. Eventually, Jennifer managed to pull ahead of Geoff, which was just enough for her to win the race.

"And Jennifer joins Joseph and Nicholas in the final race! One of these three will win immunity while the others will have to take part in the final part of the challenge. Take a five minute break in the meantime," Chris announced as he headed back to the storage room for the pool supplies.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Just as I suspected, I would be in the final round of this challenge. I mean, I'm one of the star swimmers on my school's team, so it would be a crime against nature if I hadn't won my first match.

Nicholas: All right, the odds are stacked way against me. Will I be able to beat Joseph? Not likely. But I will try my hardest, for Jessie. This one's for you Jessie!

Jennifer: I was not expecting a win like that to be honest. I thought Geoff would win at the last second or something but I guess he didn't pace himself enough. But since I've gotten this far, I may as well try to win, right?

* * *

It was time for the final race. Joseph, Nicholas and Jennifer were lined up on the starting blocks and Chris emerged from the supply closet. He now had the pistol and said, "Chef had to go prepare something, so I'm starting this final race. Are you all ready?"

"Not really, but I don't have much of a choice, do I," Jennifer asked.

Nicholas smirked and said, "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Joseph looked over to the mechanic and said, "Well then, good luck. You'll need it."

Chris raised the starting pistol and said, "All right everyone. On your marks. Get set. Go!"

The pistol fired and the three finalists leapt into the water and began swimming. Joseph, being a swimmer, was able to pull an early lead. This displeased Nicholas, who suddenly swam rather quickly in an attempt to catch up with the overachiever. Jennifer also tried to swim faster, but she was unable to catch up to Nicholas and Joseph. As the contestants neared the turn around point, Nicholas was managing to catch up with Joseph.

"Oh man, can you believe this," Cody said aloud.

Izzy shook her head and said, "How is Nicholas managing to stay on pace with him?"

Noah rolled his eyes and remarked, "His stamina will wear down soon. I don't see why you're all getting so worked up about this."

Shortly after they turned around, Nicholas surpassed Joseph. The mechanic had a look of pure excitement on his face while Joseph did not look worried in the least. Nicholas' lead seemed to last until the halfway point, when he began to slow down considerably. This allowed Joseph to pass the mechanic.

"Oh no, why's he slowing down," Emily asked in shock.

"I told you, his stamina wore down," Noah replied.

The race soon ended with Joseph taking first place. When the overachiever won, Nicholas and Jennifer stopped where they were. Chris announced the results, "And Joseph wins the second challenge and wins immunity. I'll give everyone a half hour to get changed into the clothes we provided for you for your third challenge, which is a boxing challenge. Whoever manages to beat Chef Hatchet in a boxing match will win immunity. See you all in a half hour."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I don't mean to brag, but this went just how I thought it would. This proves to work well in my favor, as now I know I am safe for another day.

Megan: Boxing? To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea how this will go. I mean, I play lacrosse and field hockey, but that doesn't really require the skills that boxing does.

Geoff: I've never boxed before but it can't be too hard. I've helped one of my buddies spar before so it shouldn't be too much harder, right?

* * *

Inside the boy's locker room, Mikey, Geoff, Noah, Nicholas and Cody saw the boxing gloves and shorts that had been provided for them, as well as some other things. "Well this is just offensive," Noah remarked as he noticed a turban that was with his orange boxing gloves and shorts.

Mikey quirked an eyebrow as he looked up from his green gloves, shorts and the black undershirt that was left for him and said, "Why? I thought you were Indian."

Noah nodded and said, "I am, but the fact that that automatically means I need a turban is stereotyping and as much as this show stereotypes, sometimes there are lines that shouldn't be crossed."

"Yeah, but Chris has a tendency to be an asshole, so it could just be that," Nicholas bluntly stated.

Cody held up a piece of protective headgear and said, "Hey guys? I don't feel too confident about this."

"Well it is Chef we're dealing with dude. The guy's too high strung, you know? He needs to chill more often," Geoff commented.

Mikey placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "You do know this is Chef we have to box right? He's probably going to burn off some steam punching us!"

Geoff thought this over for a second before he tipped his hat down and said, "Aw crap."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I predict we're gonna be in a world of hurt. The only people left that might stand a chance are Nicholas and maybe Geoff. If Duncan or Eva were here, then somebody could easily take him down.

Geoff: Mikey is right dudes, we don't stand much of a chance against him. I mean, he threw a knife at me when I jokingly suggested ordering a pizza! Imagine what he can do when he can punch us!

Nicholas: Man, it's a good thing I've done training on the same level as the armed forces. Chef won't know what hit him.

* * *

In the girl's locker room, Emily, Jennifer, Izzy and Megan were examining their boxing attire. Like the boys, they had been left boxing gloves and shorts, but they were also left sports bras due to the fact that they couldn't go topless. Izzy was looking at her lime green attire with bright eyes, and she said, "This is exciting! I've always wanted to go toe to toe with Chef and now I can!"

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's excited about doing this," Emily remarked with a hint of anxiousness in her voice.

Megan cast a glance to Jennifer, who looked equally nervous, and said, "Yeah, I think that's a safe bet Emily."

"Come on you guys, why don't you want to do this," Izzy asked, pulling the other three girls in for a group hug.

Emily answered, "Well, we don't like Chef."

"And he doesn't like us," Megan added.

Jennifer finished, "And quite honestly, he's immensely strong. He could pulverize any of us."

Izzy shook her head and said, "You girls don't have any sense of adventure. I'll show you how fun it is."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Fighting Chef is fun? If she hadn't done anything crazy the entire season, that one comment would make me think Izzy's insane.

Izzy: Chef, mark my words, I will win this battle between us! You aren't winning this war!

* * *

Half an hour after the end of the swimming part of the challenge, all of the contestants were in the gym, waiting to get the challenge over with. Set up in the center of the gym was a boxing ring. Joseph and Bridgette were sitting in the stands, waiting to see how things would go. After a moment or two of waiting around, Chris entered, with Chef following him. Chef was wearing orange shorts and had purple boxing gloves on his hands. As usual, he had his little Chef's hat on atop his head. Chris grinned as Chef climbed into the ring. "So, instead of following the order, I'll ask. Is there anyone who would like to go now," Chris asked to the nine teens in boxing attire.

Nicholas was going to volunteer, but Izzy beat him to the punch, shouting, "Aw yeah! Lets do this Chef!"

"Fine with me crazy girl. I'll beat some sense into ya," Chef shouted, getting into the spirit of battle.

"Alright, looks like it's Izzy vs. Chef in round one," Chris announced, "Ready? And fight!"

Chef stood waiting to see what Izzy would do first. The crazy redhead bounced back and forth for a moment before she ducked down toward the mat and did a jumping uppercut, which Chef dodged with ease before he brought his fist up above his head and brought it down on Izzy's head. The blow disoriented her but did not take her down.

"Grrr. You're tough Chef, I'll give you that. But you need to be more than tough to beat me," Izzy shouted, getting back up to continue combat.

Chef grinned and said, "Bring it on."

Izzy leapt forward, swinging her fist around above her head before bringing it down near Chef. The cook was too quick for her though, and dodged out of the way. Chef then reared up and swung both his fists at Izzy, catching her between them. The blow knocked the wind out of her and she fell to the mat.

Chris approached and said, "Well, it looks like she's down and out. Who's the next challenger?"

"That would be me," Nicholas said as he entered the ring.

"Fine by me grease monkey," Chef snorted as he got ready to fight his new challenger.

Chris grinned and said, "Alright, now it's time for Nicholas vs. Chef in round two! Ready, and begin!"

Nicholas quickly jabbed a few times, which Chef raised his gloves to block the blows. The mechanic threw a couple of hooks, some of them which were feints, in an attempt to disorient Chef. His plan backfired however, as Chef was able to notice when he was throwing an actual punch and when he was faking it. After successfully blocking all of Nicholas' strikes, Chef brought one of his fists up above his head and brought it down on Nicholas' head, knocking him out cold.

"And another one bites the dust," Chris announced as two interns pulled Nicholas out of the ring, "So, does anyone else want to volunteer?" There was silence from the seven remaining competitors, as nobody wanted to go up against the guy that took down Izzy and Nicholas. "No takers? Well then, I guess we follow the order. Megan, you're up," Chris said as Chef prepared to take on his opponent.

Seeing that his girlfriend could get hurt badly, Mikey said, "Wait! I'll go before Megan!"

"Suit yourself," Chris said with a shrug. Mikey entered the ring and tried to look confident in front of Chef.

Chef, seeing Mikey's apprehension, said, "I'll tell ya what scrawny. I'll try to make this as painless as possible for ya."

"That's if I don't defeat you first," Mikey said.

Chef laughed and said, "You're funny kid, I'll give ya that much."

"Round three! Mikey vs. Chef! Begin," Chris announced as he started the match.

Chef took the initiative and lifted his fist in order to hit Mikey on the head. The gamer quickly threw his left fist at Chef's face, which he blocked but in doing so he stopped getting ready to punch. Mikey took this opportunity and punched Chef in the stomach with his right fist. Chef, who was unprepared for this, got disoriented for a second which allowed Mikey to punch Chef's gut five times.

Chef recovered from this and growled, "Nice try kid. But it's time for you to say goodnight!"

Chef tried to pinch Mikey between his two fists, but the gamer ducked and dodged the blow. The gamer then threw another punch to Chef's face, which was quickly blocked. While Chef was busy blocking the punch to his face, Mikey hit him in the stomach again, quickly hitting him a half a dozen times.

"You little punk! I'll take you down," Chef shouted, getting ready to throw a forceful right hook.

Mikey countered this by throwing his own right hook, this one faster but less powerful than Chef's. Chef got heavily disoriented from the counter. Mikey took this opportunity and threw an uppercut as hard as he could, shouting, "Say goodbye!"

Chef got hit in the chin which caused the large cook to stagger backwards, which resulted in him falling out of the arena. "Since Chef has exited the arena, I hereby declare Mikey the winner of this challenge and winner of immunity," Chris excitedly announced.

Realization hit Mikey and he said, "I won? I won!"

Megan ran forward and hugged her boyfriend and said, "I can't believe you did it! And thank you for volunteering to go before me. That was really sweet of you."

"Now, now, before everyone figures out whom they're voting for, can I have the three immunity winners up here," Chris asked. Bridgette, Joseph and Mikey stood next to Chris and the host said, "Now, you three have won immunity. But you can each extend your immunity to one other person. As if I didn't already know, who else would you three like to give immunity to?"

Bridgette smiled and said, "I choose Geoff of course."

"Booyah," the party boy shouted.

"And I'm going to naturally give my extra immunity to Megan," Mikey said.

Megan smiled and said, "Thank you."

Joseph smiled and said, "And I will pick my best friend Noah."

"Well at least I didn't have to do this for nothing," Noah muttered.

Cody looked between himself and the other non-immune contestants and asked, "So one of us five are going home?"

"Not exactly. Everyone, change back into your normal clothes and meet me at the track outside in twenty minutes," Chris said as he exited the gym.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I'm shocked that I won, to be honest. I figured Chef would cream a weakling like me. Though between you and me, the moves that he used reminded me of the moves the character King Hippo used in the video game Punch-Out! I just based my strategy on what works in the game and it worked.

Joseph: So Mikey, his girlfriend and his two best friends are all immune, eh? Well this could prove problematic. Of those five left, I suppose Cody would be the easiest target. I need to keep Izzy around though. She's such a danger to others that it's basically a free pass for me down the road.

Cody: Do you think it's all right that I'm worried about what Chris has planned?

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed, and the five non-immune competitors were standing at the running track used for track and field events. The six immune contestants were sitting in the stands, waiting to see what would happen. Chris approached and said, "All right you five. We're going to have a simple race around the track."

"Simple? Yeah right," Nicholas muttered.

"Okay, you caught me. It's not quite so simple. There's some obstacles that you'll have to avoid like hurdles, explosives, oil slicks, nothing too serious," Chris responded.

Emily asked, "So does the winner of this race get immunity?"

The host chuckled and said, "Well you see, I'm keeping it a surprise. They might, and any votes against them wouldn't count. Or maybe whoever is in last will be immune. Or someone could get instantly eliminated. I'm not telling."

Nicholas scoffed and said, "Whatever. Let's get this over with already."

"If you insist Nicholas. Everyone, get to your starting positions," Chris announced as the five contestants got to their pre-determined positions on the curve of the track.

"Good luck Emily," Cody said to his girlfriend as he got to his position.

The dancer smiled and said, "You too Cody."

Chris stood at the end of the straightaway and said, "Alright guys, on your marks, get set, go!" Chris fired off a starting pistol and the five contestants started to run. Izzy and Nicholas pulled ahead quickly, though Jennifer, Emily and Cody were not going to give up easily. Izzy and Nicholas leapt over their first hurdles with ease and continued on their way. Jennifer also had little trouble with the first hurdle, but Emily and Cody did not have as much luck. The two shorter contestants were able to clear the hurdle, but they lost some of their momentum, causing them to fall behind even more. Izzy and Nicholas continued to pace each other as they ran into the oil slicks. Izzy was somehow able to keep her balance but Nicholas slipped and fell on his back into the oil.

"Well, at least it was just oil. This poor shirt's seen its fair share of oil," Nicholas said as he pulled himself up as Jennifer reached the oil. The performing artist slowed down enough so that she did not fall in the oil slick. Nicholas took off again, in an attempt to catch up with Izzy. Emily and Cody both reached the oil slick and carefully walked through it or walked around it.

Izzy had reached the explosions and intentionally set one off, launching her into the air. She cackled crazily as she hit the ground. Jennifer and Nicholas caught up to the crazy girl due to this diversion, while Cody and Emily were still a little behind. Nicholas and Izzy were yet again pacing each other, until another explosion between their lanes detonated, blasting the two backwards. This made it so that Jennifer was able to make it to the finish line in first place. The four still racing were all at about the same point, until Izzy tripped on a stick lying in the track. As she fell, she flailed her arms about, taking Nicholas down with her. Due to this other distraction, Emily and Cody were able to finish the race, in that order. Izzy was able to pick herself up off the ground quicker and she sprinted to the finish line, finishing mere seconds before Nicholas did. "And that is that," Chris announced, "Let's get this elimination over with! Please vote now."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Well, this elimination is truly a wild card. I would rather keep Izzy and Nicholas around, as that will be beneficial to me in the long run. So, I will vote for the contestant who is the biggest friend of Mikey, and that would be Cody.

Jennifer: I guess I'll vote for Izzy. I mean, she tends to be dangerous. That and I like the other three options I have.

Geoff: Yeah, I gotta vote for Izzy dudes. She's pretty wicked but she's also kind of dangerous. Nothing personal dudette.

Izzy: I'm going to vote for Emily. I mean, Nicholas is like my rival right now, Cody's my friend and Jennifer and I have started to bond.

* * *

Chris was standing at his podium and said, "And after another challenge, it's time for another elimination. If you get a hall pass you move on to the next round of competition. The person that does not get a hall pass must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers, where you cannot come back, ever! The first six passes go to our six immunity winners: Bridgette, Geoff, Joseph, Noah, Mikey and Megan." The six contestants claimed their passes and sat back down so that they could hear the results of the final part of the challenge.

"The next passes goes to Jennifer and Emily," Chris said as the two rookie girls got up to get their passes. Izzy had a look of sheer determination on her face, Nicholas looked fairly emotionless and Cody looked really nervous.

Chris held up the second to last hall pass and said, "The next pass goes to Cody." The tech geek sighed and got his pass before hugging his girlfriend and sitting down. Chris looked between the two and said, "This is the final pass of the night. The final pass goes to…"

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"Izzy. The twist with the last race was that the person who came in last would be instantly eliminated."

"Yeah I kind of figured that when I saw that Izzy and I were the final two. Still, it feels good to know that I wasn't voted out by everyone else. Good luck everybody," Nicholas said as he exited the room.

He walked down the hallway and got on board the bus, where he heard someone call out, "Nick!"

Looking to the back, he saw his girlfriend coming to meet him. Embracing her, Nicholas asked, "Jessie, what are you doing here? I'm glad to see you but still."

"Chef was waiting at the Aftermath studio to see who would lose and he was going to bring Trent or myself here had Jennifer or you come in last. And since you came in last, here I am," Jessie said as she sat down next to Nicholas.

"Well, I'm glad to see you," Nicholas said as the two kissed.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Nicholas: Well, I can live with the fact that the others hadn't voted me out. I played a decent game, got a girlfriend and made some good friends along the way. I may have made an enemy along the way too, but I plan on talking things out with him when I get the chance. Here's hoping I can go all the way whenever I happen to be in a season next.

* * *

Chris was sitting in the office with his feet propped up on the desk and said, "And due to a technicality, Nicholas has been eliminated, but at least he's reunited with his girlfriend. How will this affect Joseph and his plans? How will this affect Noah's plans? And speaking of the know-it-all, will he be happy with the next challenge? Probably not. Find out the answers to all these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!

* * *

Votes (Didn't count due to a technicality)

Izzy – 8 (Mikey, Megan, Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, Emily, Jennifer, Nicholas)

Emily – 2 (Noah, Izzy)

Cody – 1 (Joseph)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas

Contestants Remaining: Geoff, Cody, Noah, Bridgette, Izzy, Mikey, Joseph, Jennifer, Emily, Megan (10 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

I initially wanted to make Nicholas go a lot farther, to prove that one doesn't need to be really smart to go far in school-based challenges. However, I realized that after his conflict with Danny was resolved, Nicholas didn't have anything really going for him. Since I couldn't find a way to get enough votes for him, I decided to automatically eliminate our favorite mechanic.

* * *

Woo! Another update about two months since the last one! I didn't really like this chapter too much. It started out all right, but then it kind of went downhill in my opinion. You can even see that I tried to rush the final parts of the chapter so I could get it done. I have other plans for the rest of the chapters though that I think are promising, so look forward to that. If you wouldn't mind checking out some other stories of mine, I have recently started to write for Super Smash Bros, since there are so many good ideas there. And if you have time, please review. It's a respectful gesture to me as you care enough about this story to tell me what you though. In case I don't get the next chapter up before this happens, if any of my readers are in the Northeast United States and are planning on attending Connecticon, an anime convention in Connecticut, let me know and maybe we can meet up somewhere. Anyways, that's enough rambling from me. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: In case his previous track record is any indication, Chris has little to no imagination. And with the next challenge, he keeps proving this as he rips off a famous reality/competition show!


	17. Chapter 14: Canadian Idol

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything aside from my own characters.

Note: Sorry about the super long wait on this one, I'll touch more on this later but I just wanted to apologize now.

* * *

Chris was standing on the stage of the auditorium wearing a white suit. His hair was gelled up into an Elvis Presley style. He flashed a smile to the camera and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! I had the remaining students partake in another physical education themed challenge! The competitors had to partake in Surfing, Swimming and Boxing challenges. The winners of those challenges were Bridgette, Joseph and Mikey respectively. Those three won immunity as well as one other person of their choice, which meant Geoff, Noah and Megan also won immunity. After this, I made the remaining five participate in a race with numerous hazards. I didn't tell them this at the time, but the loser would be instantly eliminated. Nicholas finished in last place in the race, meaning he was sent packing. Will Izzy injure anyone? Will anyone enjoy today's challenge? And can I get a record deal? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!" Chris sang the last line of his intro in an off-key tone, cracking a window behind him. The host turned around and said, "Somebody should probably fix that."

* * *

An hour and a half after the remaining contestants had gotten up, the bus was on its way to the high school. "So we've known each other for at least two weeks now, but I have to ask, do you guys have any siblings," Bridgette asked to Mikey, Megan and Emily.

"Yeah, I've got a younger brother," Mikey stated, "Though I'm glad I'm here right now. He's annoying as hell."

Megan gasped and said, "Mikey! You would say that about him on television?"

"Oh please, he already knows that's how I feel about him," Mikey said with a shrug before adding, "Anyways, do you have any siblings Megan?"

The nice girl nodded and said, "I've got an older sister. I'm the baby of the family, so to speak."

"I'm the youngest too. I've got an older brother," Emily chimed in.

"I wonder what it would've been like if I had an older sibling," Mikey wondered aloud, "That's kind of why I think being a middle sibling would have been best. They get to experience being a younger and an older sibling."

Megan hugged her boyfriend and said, "I don't know, I've always wondered what it would be like if I were the oldest child. I'm always being compared to my older sister."

"Me too. It's not as bad being compared to my older brother though because since I'm a girl my parents don't expect me to follow in his footsteps per se. They just want me to have grades that were as good as his," Emily added.

Megan sighed and said, "It sucks for me since my parents want me to do everything my sister did."

"Well I like you just the way you are," Mikey said as he kissed his girlfriend once again.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: Yeah, my brother can be a pain in the ass sometimes. If he's watching this, which I hope he is, he knows who he is. And if he is watching this, you had better not have taken any of my stuff!

Emily: I hope my older brother is proud of how well I've done so far. He was the one who had always wanted to be on this show instead of me so hopefully I've done him proud.

* * *

At the back of the bus, Joseph was plotting. "I've been thinking this over since last night and I still don't have any idea what I'm going to end up doing," the overachiever thought out loud.

Noah barely glanced over the top of the book he was reading and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Joseph looked at his alliance partner and said, "My plan for the final four. Get you, me, Geoff and Nicholas to the final four and then we crush the other two. Now that Nicholas is gone my plan is pointless."

"So get some other people. Get Jennifer or something. She's always moping about Trent being gone," Noah remarked.

"I don't know. I still have to rethink my game plan. I'll let you know when I figure out what I'm going to do," Joseph stated. Noah shrugged and went back to reading his book.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: I honestly don't know how to proceed. I could plot to bring Geoff and one other person with me to the final four but unfortunately the remaining competition is too smart. I don't want to risk them discovering me. I suppose I could go with Izzy since even if she does find out she's too crazy for the others to take her seriously. I'll have to think this through some more.

Noah: It may not seem like it right now but I'm freaking out right now. With Nicholas gone, I have one less person available for my plan to get rid of Joseph. This is going to make me sound like such an ass but I hope the other three couples get split up before Jennifer leaves. I need as many potential allies as possible for my plan. Thankfully, six of the remaining ten competitors are in relationships and their boyfriend or girlfriend is still here. That makes it all the more likely that they will get voted out over the rest of us. Still, I have to make sure this goes the way I want it to or else Joseph will be unstoppable.

* * *

Geoff was currently sitting with Cody, Jennifer and Izzy and the party boy was excited. "So guys, as soon as this season is over, we should totally throw like this massive party at the Aftermath studio or something," Geoff explained to the others he was sitting with.

"I'd be down with that. Awesome music, good food, a fun time, sounds like we could all use that after three seasons of this show," Cody remarked.

Izzy vigorously nodded and said, "Yeah and we can entertain everybody with our various talents!"

"I wouldn't mind playing a song or two on guitar at a party," Jennifer contributed.

Geoff smiled and said, "Dudes, this party is going to be so awesome! I don't think anyone won't have a good time!"

"Well, Heather might not like it," Izzy said with a shrug.

Cody nodded and said, "True, but after all the crap she's put people through for the past three seasons do we really need to worry if she's going to like it."

Izzy blinked and said, "Good point."

Jennifer smiled and said, "This party will be a good time for the couples to spend time with each other, especially since the rookies, like me, don't know if we're sticking around on the aftermath next season."

"Wait, you might not be? Emily might not be there," Cody exclaimed.

Jennifer shook her head and responded, "I don't know if we will since I wasn't paying attention to the fine print on the contract."

"Dudes, now's not the time for depressing thoughts. Let's live in the moment and think ahead to our awesome party," Geoff said, trying to bring up everyone's mood.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Jennifer: I know I can't get into the next season, but I would love it if I could stay at the Aftermath studio, especially since Trent will be there the entire season. (The performing artist giggles)

Cody: Man, that would suck if Emily couldn't stay at the Aftermath studio waiting for me next season. I already know I'm going to be in it but lets face it, I'm not very strong. The only reason why I've made it to the final ten now is because I'm smart.

* * *

The bus slowly pulled up to the high school and the ten teens exited the vehicle. Upon reaching the entrance of the building, they saw Chris was waiting for them. "Hey guys," Chris said as the group approached, "Are you ready for your next challenge?"

"Already telling us about the next challenge? No small talk or asking how we are," Mikey asked.

Chris raised an eyebrow and said, "That would imply that I cared more than what is absolutely necessary. Anyways, do you want to know what your next challenge is?"

"You're going to tell us regardless," Noah commented before muttering, "You want to hog the screentime as much as possible."

"True, I am going to tell you the challenge if you want to know what it is or not. Today's challenge is going to make some of you pretty happy. After all, I know some of you like to sing," the host said with a nod.

"A singing challenge? Interesting," Joseph commented.

Chris smiled and said, "You will have a few hours to learn a song of your choice to sing. Your performance will be graded by three judges. They will be myself, Chef Hatchet and a special guest."

Jennifer was smiling as she said, "Who's the special guest?"

"Why don't I let you find out for yourselves," Chris said as he turned to the building and said, "Come on out!"

One of the doors to the high school opened and out stepped a familiar face to anyone who had watched the show. "Lindsay? You're the special guest," Cody asked.

The blonde nodded and said, "Yep! Chip asked me if I wanted to be a judge and I said yes."

"Lindsay, my name is Chris," Chris said, mildly annoyed.

"So that's it? Memorize a song and sing it," Mikey asked.

Chris smiled again and said, "Pretty much. The 2 best singers get immunity, everyone else could go home. No surprises like yesterday. You've got until one to learn what song you're going to sing, so you should start memorizing. You can use the computers in the school to look up the song if you need to. That's it, you may go."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: I'm a pretty good singer. I'm not fantastic, but if I can pick the right song this could go very well for me.

Geoff: My friends tell me I've got a decent singing voice. They say I'm the best person who sings karaoke at the parties I have, so this challenge shouldn't be too tough, right?

* * *

Mikey and Megan were busy looking at a computer screen, trying to pick out just the right song for the nice girl. Mikey looked away from the screen for a moment to say, "Are there any artists you really like? Why not sing one of their songs?"

"That could work. I also really like country music, so maybe I should sing a country song," Megan thought aloud before asking, "Do you want to look up some song lyrics?"

"Nah, I know what song I'm singing," the gamer responded.

Megan looked at her boyfriend before asking, "What song is that?"

Mikey replied, "I'm going to be singing the song Live and Learn, specifically the Crush 40 version. That version was made famous by the video game Sonic Adventure 2."

"Figures you would pick a song from a video game," Megan said with a playful grin on her face, meaning she was not being sarcastic.

"Hey, it's who I am. Anyways, you got any ideas on a song yet," Mikey asked as his girlfriend looked back at the computer screen.

Megan searched the internet and said, "I was thinking a Taylor Swift song. She's one of my favorite artists."

Mikey hugged the nice girl and said, "That is a great idea. She's got some good songs. Any idea which one you want to use yet?"

Megan shook her head and said, "Not yet. I'll figure it out though."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I love the game Sonic Adventure 2. I like how there are two story modes, you can raise 3 different types of Chao, which is like a pet for those who don't know what I'm talking about, and the gameplay is varied enough without it being too varied. The original Sonic Adventure had way too many different types of levels.

* * *

Looking at a different computer monitor was Bridgette. Sitting next to her was Geoff. "So you really don't have any idea what song you want to sing Bridge? There's got to be some song you like," Geoff said, trying to help his girlfriend decide.

Bridgette sighed and said, "Most of the music I like doesn't have lyrics. It's all instrumental."

Geoff tapped his chin and said, "I don't really listen to them, but what about The Beach Boys? Just based on the name, it sounds like they're ocean based. And you love the ocean!"

"That's true. I don't know, let me take a look at them. What song are you singing anyways," Bridgette asked.

"I was thinking about singing one of the ultimate party songs," the party boy replied with a grin.

The surfer raised one of her eyebrows and asked, "And that is?"

Geoff blinked and said, "Oh right, the actual song. I was gonna sing I Gotta Feeling!"

"Is that a good idea? There's not a lot of lyrics if I recall," Bridgette commented.

Geoff shrugged and said, "There's more lyrics than you think. And if all else fails, I can dance while singing. Relax Bridge, it'll be fine."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Geoff: Yeah, I know we're supposed to sing for this challenge, but a little dancing will get everyone excited. There's been too much depression lately, we really have to make things more exciting.

Bridgette: I hope Geoff knows what he's doing. This isn't the first time he's had an okay idea that's resulted in something going wrong. Though it can't get much worse than that time at the zoo.

* * *

Cody and Emily were, like the couples before them, looking at a computer screen. And like the others, Cody knew what he was going to sing while Emily did not. "So you seriously don't have any idea what song you want to sing," Cody asked.

Emily sighed and said, "No. There are a few songs that I like but none of them are good enough."

The tech geek tapped his chin and said, "Well, I can give you some suggestions, but they're only going to be rock and roll songs, since that and techno are my two favorite genres."

"It's worth a shot I guess," the dancer replied.

"All right, now I have to figure out what would seem fitting for you," Cody said while looking at a list of songs on the internet.

While waiting for Cody to figure out a song choice that suited her, Emily asked, "So what song are you singing Cody?"

Cody didn't look away from the computer monitor as he said, "It's a secret. When I sing it, the results will be funny, but aside from that I can't reveal anything."

"Oh okay," Emily replied.

"I got it," Cody exclaimed as he turned to look at his girlfriend, "You should sing Livin' On a Prayer by Bon Jovi."

Emily read the lyrics displayed on the screen and asked, "Any reason why?"

"Well, you said you had always hoped that you could go out with me so in theory you could say you are living on a prayer," Cody replied as Emily finished reading the lyrics.

"That's perfect," the dancer exclaimed before kissing Cody.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: Nice job Cody, you made your girlfriend very happy today.

Emily: I'm fortunate Cody is so smart. On my own I would never have thought of what he did.

* * *

Inside the auditorium, Chris was sitting with Owen and Duncan, who had been called into service for the day. "Do you really need me to be here Chris? Because I would much rather be with Courtney than here right now," Duncan stated as he lounged back in a chair with his hands behind his head.

The host nodded and said, "Yes Duncan, I do need you here. You see, you two are going to help out in the challenge today."

Owen gasped and asked, "Are we gonna be judges?"

"No, we already have Lindsay to fill the gap we needed. Owen, you're going to be backstage asking each person what song they're going to sing right before they're up. You will then radio the name of the song to Duncan, who will be in the auditorium's control room. Duncan, you will then play the song that has been requested by the contestant," Chris explained to his two interns.

Duncan scoffed and said, "You asked us to do that? Couldn't you have asked Katie, Sadie or Beth to do that?"

Chris shook his head and said, "Afraid not Duncan. You see, the producers realized that you and Owen were two of the more liked people on this show. So in order to bring in more ratings, you two need to appear more often than they do."

"Fine, let's just hope this goes quick," the punk muttered.

"Aw, come on Duncan, it'll be fun," Owen said as he followed Duncan behind the stage curtain.

* * *

Izzy was quietly cackling to herself as she looked at the computer in front of her, trying to determine which song she was going to sing. "Um, what are you doing," Jennifer asked, as she was seated close to the crazy girl.

Izzy grinned and said, "I'm looking up songs about fire and explosions and what not."

The performing artist looked at the songs listed on Izzy's screen and said, "Well, if that's the case, then why not sing the song Dynamite? It's more about a party but it still mentions explosives."

"That could work. I suppose I could use the party theme to show that I miss Owen, since he loves parties. I wish he could've competed this season," Izzy lamented.

Jennifer pat the crazy girl on the back and said, "I sort of feel the same way about Trent, minus the whole competing this season part. But that's why I'm singing Don't Stop Believing. It may be sort of clichéd, but since I've learned to not give up, no matter how sad I am that Trent isn't here, it seemed fitting."

"That makes a lot of sense," Izzy replied, "It's too bad we can't do a duet for the challenge, we could totally kick ass!"

"Yeah, too bad it's an individual challenge, huh," Jennifer said halfheartedly.

"Maybe some other time," the crazy girl said with a shrug as she got up to leave. When she was certain Izzy was out of earshot, Jennifer let out a sigh.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: I know that deep down Izzy is a really nice girl, but unfortunately on the surface she's too crazy. I wonder if we could get her some therapy to make her less crazy.

Izzy: Hmm. Dynamite's not a bad idea. But there are other songs that sound even more destructive. I'm gonna like this. (The crazy girl cackles with laughter).

* * *

Joseph and Noah were sitting near each other staring at their own respective computer monitors. After a few minutes of silence, Noah got up from the desk the computer was situated on and said, "Singing. Such a mentally stimulating task."

"Easy on the sarcasm my friend. You just need to find the right song to sing. For example, since I'm so focused on the game right now, I'm going to be singing the song that is the epitome of focus," Joseph commented, turning away from his computer.

"And that would be," Noah prompted, previously expecting an answer.

Joseph smirked and said, "Eye of the Tiger."

Noah nodded and said, "There aren't many songs that I listen to, but when I'm in the middle of a heated match on an online game, I listen to that song."

The overachiever smiled and said, "It's a really good song, isn't it? It's one of my personal favorites."

The know-it-all sat down in a nearby chair and said, "Well, it's good that you have an idea as to what you're going to sing, but I still don't have a clue."

"Well, satire is, in a sense, a form of sarcasm. And you have been known to be sarcastic quite a lot," Joseph stated.

Noah nodded and said, "I'm not going to deny that. What exactly are you getting at?"

Joseph tapped his chin in thought and replied, "Well, why not sing a satirical song?"

"I'm not quite sure those exist," the know-it-all flatly stated.

"Purely satirical? No. But there are some songs that have elements of satire to them, namely parody songs. If you wished you could sing one of those. Weird Al has the best parody songs, you should look him up," the overachiever countered.

Noah walked back over to the computer and said, "I'll give it a shot. Besides, I don't want to risk instant elimination if I don't sing."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: In my case, Eye of the Tiger has a second meaning. Yes, I'm focused on the game, but I'm also focused on controlling it. I'll practically be rubbing the fact that I'm in control of this game in everyone's face and they won't have a clue.

Noah: Okay, I'll admit, a couple of the parody songs I looked at were funny. Nothing too funny, but it did elicit some chuckles from me.

* * *

It was one o'clock and the ten contestants were sitting in the auditorium, waiting for Chris. Moments later the host walked on stage, holding a clipboard. "All right guys, here's how it's going to go. Only two people will be backstage at a time. You will all be given a random number, and you must be backstage when you need to be or else you instantly lose the challenge," Chris announced as he glanced at the clipboard, "So, here is your order. First up is Izzy, followed by Cody, Megan, Geoff, Bridgette, Mikey, Emily, Joseph, Jennifer and lastly Noah. Izzy, you have five minutes to prepare. Cody, you will be going backstage as well."

The two contestants got up and went backstage as Chris sat down in front of a large table with Chef to his left and Lindsay was on Chef's left. "So do you have any hope for these guys," Chef asked the host.

Chris raised an eyebrow and said, "No, not really. Jennifer I have hope for, but everyone else I don't."

"Wow, that's like, really mean," Lindsay remarked.

Chris put his finger to his lips and said, "Shh. Lindsay, I need you to sit there and be pretty can you do that?"

Lindsay nodded and said, "Yep! I'm great at that!"

"I bet you are," Chef grumbled quietly.

* * *

Backstage, Izzy was busy showering Owen with kisses and the two were giggling uncontrollably. Cody just watched as the two were making out on the floor with a look that would be described as half amused and half disgusted. Wishing for the awkwardness to end, Cody spoke up, "Um, don't you have a challenge to do Izzy?"

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot," Izzy jumped up before whispering the name of the song she was to sing in Owen's ear.

Owen saluted his girlfriend and said, "Got it!"

* * *

On stage, Izzy walked out before bowing to the audience. Chris looked at the crazy girl and asked, "And what are you going to be singing for us?"

"Rock You Like a Hurricane by Scorpions," Izzy answered before the opening guitar riff sounded. She bopped her head in rhythm to the music prior to the lyrics starting. Once the initial riff was over, Izzy started to sing.

_It's early morning_

_The sun comes out_

_Last night was shaking_

_And pretty loud_

_My cat is purring_

_And scratches my skin_

_So what is wrong_

_With another sin_

_The bitch is hungry_

_She needs to tell_

_So give her inches_

_And feed her well_

_More days to come_

_New places to go_

_I've got to leave_

_It's time for a show_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_My body is burning_

_It starts to shout_

_Desire is coming_

_It breaks out loud_

_Lust is in cages_

_Till storm breaks loose_

_Just have to make it_

_With someone I choose_

_The night is calling_

_I have to go_

_The wolf is hungry_

_He runs to show_

_He's licking his lips_

_He's ready to win_

_On the hunt tonight_

_For love at first sting_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Rock you like a hurricane_

_It's early morning_

_The sun comes out_

_Last night was shaking_

_And pretty loud_

_My cat is purring_

_And scratches my skin_

_So what is wrong_

_With another sin_

_The night is calling_

_I have to go_

_The wolf is hungry_

_He runs to show_

_He's licking his lips_

_He's ready to win_

_On the hunt tonight_

_For love at first sting_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am, rock you like a hurricane_

_Here I am_

Izzy finished singing and awaited the judgment of the judges. "Before we give our reactions, it should be mentioned that each judge will award a score from 1 to 10. The 2 highest scores will get immunity. Lindsay, you want to start us off," Chris asked, looking at the blonde.

"Um, okay," Lindsay giggled before looking at Izzy, "Well, your singing was really nice. I don't know what that song was supposed to be about, but your voice is nice. I'll give you a 7."

Chef Hatchet nodded his head and said, "I'll admit, we're not exactly friends, but your singing was pretty damn good. Quality song too, not like some of that crap that's sung today. You get an 8."

"Well then, looks like it's my turn. Your singing was mediocre I suppose. The song was okay, but it was a little long. We've got a lot of singers to get through. I'll give you a 5," Chris stated with a bit of a frown.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it," Izzy asked.

Chris shrugged and replied, "These shows always have to have one judge that's harsher than the others." Izzy shrugged and backflipped off the stage.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: Izzy thought she did well. Why can't Chris see that?

* * *

Next onto the stage was Cody. "So Cody, care to tell us what song you're singing," Chris asked the tech geek.

Cody shook his head and said, "No can do Chris. Trust me though, you'll know what it is soon enough."

Chris nodded and said, "Fair enough." The song started with a very familiar drum and guitar theme started to play.

"Oh god, is he doing what I think he's doing," Noah remarked.

Mikey nodded and said, "I think he is. I am both angry and amused at this."

_We're no strangers to love_

_You know the rules and so do I_

_A full commitment's what I'm thinking of_

_You wouldn't get this from any other guy_

_I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling_

_Gotta make you understand_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

_We've known each other for so long_

_Your heart's been aching but_

_You're too shy to say it_

_Inside we both know what's been going on_

_We know the game and we're gonna play it_

_And if you ask me how I'm feeling_

_Don't tell me you're too blind to see_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

_(Ooh, give you up)_

_(Ooh, give you up)_

_(Ooh)_

_Never gonna give, never gonna give_

_(Give you up)_

_(Ooh)_

_Never gonna give, never gonna give_

_(Give you up)_

_We've know each other for so long_

_Your heart's been aching but_

_You're too shy to say it_

_Inside we both know what's been going on_

_We know the game and we're gonna play it_

_I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling_

_Gotta make you understand_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

_Never gonna make you cry_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you_

"Well, that was unexpected," Chef remarked, "But hey, that's cool. There's no better way to Rick Roll people than doing it on national TV. I'll give ya a 7."

"Your song choice, while amusing, was clichéd. On top of that, your singing wasn't that great. 5," Chris said with a bored expression on his face.

"You're singing wasn't that bad Charlie," Lindsay offered with a smile, "but I don't get the song. I'll give you a 7."

Chef turned to Chris as Cody walked off stage and asked, "So, who's next?"

"Next is Megan, followed by Geoff," Chris replied, looking at a list in front of him.

In the audience, Emily embraced her boyfriend and said, "No matter what, I thought you were great."

Cody smiled and said, "Thanks Emily."

While they were talking, the nice girl had gotten on stage and was waiting for the music to begin. Lindsay waved and said, "Hi! I love your hair!"

"Thanks," Megan smiled.

"Ah you're here," Chris said as he turned his attention to the next participant of the day, "So what song are you singing?"

"I'm going to be singing 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift," Megan replied as the intro music began to start.

_You're on the phone with your girlfriend, She's upset_

_She's going off about something that you said_

_She doesnt get your humour like I do_

_I'm in the room, its a typical Tuesday night_

_I'm listening to the kind of music she doesnt like_

_And she'll never know your story like I do_

_But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts_

_She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers_

_Dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find_

_That what you're lookin for has been here the whole time_

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see?_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_Walkin the streets with you in your worn out jeans_

_I cant help thinking this is how it ought to be_

_Laughing on the park bench thinkin to myself_

_Hey isnt this easy?_

_And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town_

_I havent seen it in awhile, since she brought you down_

_You say you find I know you better than that_

_Hey, Whatcha doing with a girl like that?_

_She wears high heels, I wear sneakers_

_She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers_

_Dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for has been here the whole time_

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see?_

_You belong with me_

_Standin by, waiting at your back door_

_All this time how could you not know that?_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night_

_I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry_

_I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams_

_I think I know where you belong. I think I know it's with me._

_Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?_

_Been here all along so why can't you see?_

_You belong with me_

_Standing by or waiting at your back door_

_All this time how could you not know that_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_Have you ever thought just maybe_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

"Not too bad. Not bad at all," Chris remarked, "I don't know why, but your voice is like that of a country singer. I give you a 7."

Lindsay clapped and cheered and said, "Oh my gosh! I so love that song! You get a 12!"

"The highest score is a ten Lindsay," Chris remarked with a roll of his eyes.

Lindsay nodded and said, "Okay, then you get a ten!"

Chef nodded and remarked, "You're a pretty good singer. I don't really like Country though so I'll have to give you a 7."

Megan nodded and got off the stage. She joined Mikey in the audience who hugged her and said, "I don't care what they think, I thought you were amazing."

"All right Geoff, what do you have for us," Chris asked as the Party Boy was now on stage.

Geoff replied, "Chris my man, I am going to sing "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas."

"Um alright," Chris said as the music started.

_I've gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good good night_

_I've gotta feeling (Woohoo) that tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good night_

_That tonight's gonna be a good good night_

_Tonight's the night_

_Let's live it up_

_I got my money_

_Let's spend it up_

Chris used an air horn which caused Geoff to stop singing. A moment later the music stopped playing as well. "Chris dude? Why'd you make me stop," Geoff asked.

Chris put down the air horn and said, "I'll be completely honest with you Geoff. You don't have a good singing voice. At all. If I were to give you a score, you would get a 1."

"Damn Chris, that's harsh. I'd at least give him a 2 for effort," Chef remarked.

"Regardless, you can't win, even if Lindsay were to give you a 10. Sorry," Chris commented as Geoff got off the stage.

The party boy stated, "That's like, major harshness dude."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Alright, so Geoff is my bro, but I'll be honest with you: He can't sing. I wonder how things go at his parties when he sings karaoke.

Bridgette: I know Geoff's not the best singer, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying his singing is bad. I hope he doesn't take things too hard.

Geoff: (The party boy appears sad) Dude, that was like so harsh. I know I'm not great at singing, but did Chris have to be so harsh about it?

* * *

Chris glanced down at the paper in front of him and said, "Alright, it looks like the next two are Bridgette and Mikey. Let's see how well their singing voices are."

Bridgette took to the stage and said, "I'm going to be singing, appropriately enough, Surfer Girl by the Beach Boys."

"Very appropriate," Chef agreed with a nod.

_Little surfer little one_

_Made my heart come all undone_

_Do you love me, do you surfer girl_

_Surfer girl my little surfer girl_

_I have watched you on the shore_

_Standing by the oceans roar_

_Do you love me do you surfer girl_

_Surfer girl surfer girl_

_We could ride the surf together_

_While our love would grow_

_In my woody I would take you everywhere I go_

_So I say from me to you_

_I will make your dreams come true_

_Do you love me do you surfer girl_

_Surfer girl my little surfer girl_

_Well_

_Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl_

_Well_

_Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl_

_Well_

_Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl_

Chris nodded and said, "Very good. Not the best so far, but not the worst. I think I'll give you a 7."

"Bridgette, your singing was great. I really liked how appropriate your song was. I think you deserve an 8," Chef said with a smirk on his face.

Lindsay looked confused and said, "Well, I've never heard that song before but since it was about a surfer and you surf, I think I'll give you a 8."

Bridgette nodded and got off the stage as Mikey took the stage. "And you will be singing," Chris asked.

The gamer grinned and said, "I'm singing Live and Learn."

_Can you feel life movin' through your mind,_

_Ooh, looks like it came back for more!_

_Yeah yeah yeah!_

_Can you feel time slippin' down your spine,_

_Ooooooh, You try and try to ignore!_

_Yeah!_

_But you can hardly swallow,_

_Your fears and pain._

_When you can't help but follow,_

_It puts you right back where you came._

_Live and learn!_

_Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_From the works of yesterday._

_Live and learn!_

_If you beg or if you borrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_You may never find your way._

_Whooooa, yeah!_

_Can you feel life tangle you up inside?_

_Yeah, now you're face down on the floor!_

_Oh!_

_But you can't save your sorrow,_

_You've paid in trade!_

_When you can't help but follow,_

_It puts you right back where you came._

_Live and learn!_

_Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_From the works of yesterday._

_Live and learn!_

_If you beg or if you borrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_You may never find your way._

_Hey, whoa, whoa,_

_Oh yeeeeeeeeeeeah!_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!_

_There's a face searching far, so far and wide._

_There's a place where you dream you'd never find._

_Hold on to what if?_

_Hold on to what if?_

_Live and learn!_

_Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_From the works of yesterday._

_Live and learn!_

_If you beg or if you borrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_You may never find your way._

_Live and learn!_

_Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_From the works of yesterday._

_Live and learn!_

_If you beg or if you borrow,_

_Live and learn!_

_You may never find your way._

_Live and learn!_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!_

_Live and learn!_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!_

"Rock on man! That was the most rocking tune yet," Chef said with a grin, "I gotta give you 9 points."

"That seemed out of character for you Chef. Anyways, while I liked your song, and your singing was pretty good, I feel it only warrants a 7," Chris said while writing some things down.

Lindsay smiled and said, "Well, your singing was pretty good. But I don't really like rock music. I'll give you a 6."

The gamer shrugged and joined his girlfriend who hugged him and said, "You did great Mikey. Don't let them make you think otherwise."

"I'm fine with it actually. I had fun. That's all that matters," Mikey replied with a shrug.

"Moving on, the next two singers are Emily and Joseph. So Emily, what song are you singing," Chris asked, trying to move the challenge along.

"Well, I will be singing Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, as Cody suggested to me," the dancer replied with a twirl as the music started.

_Once upon a time_

_Not so long ago_

_Tommy used to work on the docks_

_Union's been on strike_

_He's down on his luck...it's tough, so tough_

_Gina works the diner all day_

_Working for her man, she brings home her pay_

_For love - for love_

_She says we've got to hold on to what we've got_

_'Cause it doesn't make a difference_

_If we make it or not_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love - we'll give it a shot_

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear_

_Livin' on a prayer_

_Tommy's got his six string in hock_

_Now he's holding in what he used_

_To make it talk - so tough, it's tough_

_Gina dreams of running away_

_When she cries in the night_

_Tommy whispers baby it's okay, someday_

_We've got to hold on to what we've got_

_'Cause it doesn't make a difference_

_If we make it or not_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love - we'll give it a shot_

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear_

_Livin' on a prayer_

_We've got to hold on ready or not_

_You live for the fight when it's all that you've got_

_Whooah, we're half way there_

_Livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear_

_Livin' on a prayer_

Throughout the song, Emily was dancing along to the music. This only added to her performance, as evidenced by the cheering she received upon finishing the song. None were cheering louder than Cody however.

Chris grinned and said, "Very nice! I actually really liked your song choice and your dancing only made your performance better. I have to give you a 9."

"I hear that Chris. You had so much personality in your performance. I hardly see how it can get better than that. You get a 10 from me," Chef agreed with a nod.

Lindsay smiled and said, "Your dancing was really pretty. I've never heard of the song before though. You get an 8."

Emily smiled and said, "I can live with that. That's the highest score so far, right?"

"I believe it is," Chris noted as he turned his attention to the next participant, "So Joseph, what song are you going to be singing?"

"A true classic. I shall be singing Eye of the Tiger by Survivor," the overachiever said with a smirk on his face.

_Risin' up, back on the street_

_Did my time, took my chances_

_Went the distance_

_Now I'm back on my feet_

_Just a man and his will to survive_

_So many times, it happens too fast_

_You trade your passion for glory_

_Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past_

_You must fight just to keep them alive_

_It's the eye of the tiger_

_It's the thrill of the fight_

_Risin' up to the challenge_

_Of our rival_

_And the last known survivor_

_Stalks his prey in the night_

_And he's watching us all with the_

_Eye of the tiger_

_Face to face, out in the heat_

_Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry_

_They stack the odds_

_Still we take to the street_

_For the kill with the skill to survive_

_It's the eye of the tiger_

_It's the thrill of the fight_

_Risin' up to the challenge_

_Of our rival_

_And the last known survivor_

_Stalks his prey in the night_

_And he's watching us all with the_

_Eye of the tiger_

_Risin' up straight to the top_

_Had the guts, got the glory_

_Went the distance_

_Now I'm not gonna stop_

_Just a man and his will to survive_

_It's the eye of the tiger_

_It's the thrill of the fight_

_Risin' up to the challenge_

_Of our rival_

_And the last known survivor_

_Stalks his prey in the night_

_And he's watching us all with the_

_Eye of the tiger_

_The eye of the tiger_

_The eye of the tiger_

_The eye of the tiger_

_The eye of the tiger_

"Yeah, that song is a classic man. Your singing was all right I guess. I'll give you an 8," Chef said with a nod.

"I've heard better. 6," Chris said quickly and emotionlessly.

Lindsay tapped her fingers together and said, "Um, I haven't really heard that song. I like your singing, but I can only give you a 7."

Chris glanced at the list of performances and said, "It looks like the final two to go are Jennifer and Noah. Let's get this show on the road. Jennifer, what are you singing?"

"As clichéd as it is, I feel it is appropriate that I sing Don't Stop Believing," Jennifer said as the music started.

_Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world_

_She took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit_

_He took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_A singer in a smokey room_

_A smell of wine and cheap perfume_

_For a smile they can share the night_

_It goes on and on and on and on_

_Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard_

_Their shadows searching in the night_

_Streetlights people, living just to find emotion_

_Hiding, somewhere in the night._

_Working hard to get my fill,_

_Everybody wants a thrill_

_Payin' anything to roll the dice,_

_Just one more time_

_Some will win, some will lose_

_Some were born to sing the blues_

_Oh, the movie never ends_

_It goes on and on and on and on_

_Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard_

_Their shadows searching in the night_

_Streetlights people, living just to find emotion_

_Hiding, somewhere in the night._

_Don't stop believin'_

_Hold on to the feelin'_

_Streetlights people_

_Don't stop believin'_

_Hold on_

_Streetlight people_

_Don't stop_

Just as everyone cheered for Emily, they all cheered for Jennifer as well. Chris stood up and finished applauding before saying, "I think it's safe to say that you have the best singing voice out of all the contestants. Despite the song choice being clichéd, I feel like I have no choice but to give you a ten. I guess being a performing artist helped you."

"Aw hell yeah, that is one of my favorite songs. You get a ten from me," Chef said with a grin.

Lindsay clapped and said, "Oh my gosh! I loved hearing that song in Glee! You get a 10!"

"I really hope she realizes that the Glee version of that song wasn't the original one," Mikey whispered to his girlfriend, who playfully hit him in the shoulder.

"Well, it appears that Jennifer is getting immunity," Chris said before turning to the stage and saying, "Lets see how Noah could possibly follow that up."

Attention turned to the Know-it-all on stage and he said, "You'll find out what I'm singing soon enough."

_Is this the real life?_

_Is this just fantasy?_

_Caught in a landslide,_

_No escape from reality._

_Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,_

_I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,_

_Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low,_

_Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me._

_Mama just killed a man,_

_Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead._

_Mama, life had just begun,_

_But now I've gone and thrown it all away._

_Mama, ooh, Didn't mean to make you cry,_

_If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,_

_Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters._

_Too late, my time has come,_

_Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time._

_Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go,_

_Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth._

_Mama, ooh, I don't want to die,_

_I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all._

_I see a little silhouetto of a man,_

_Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango._

_Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me._

_(Galileo.) Galileo. (Galileo.) Galileo, Galileo figaro_

_Magnifico. I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me._

_He's just a poor boy from a poor family,_

_Spare him his life from this monstrosity._

_Easy come, easy go, will you let me go._

_Bismillah! No, we will not let you go._

_(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go._

_(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go._

_(Let me go.) Will not let you go._

_(Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Ah._

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no._

_(Oh mama mia, mama mia.) Mama mia, let me go._

_Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me._

_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye._

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die._

_Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,_

_Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here._

_Nothing really matters, Anyone can see,_

_Nothing really matters,_

_Nothing really matters to me._

_Any way the wind blows._

"Bohemian Rhapsody? I did not expect that," Chris said once the song ended.

Noah shrugged and said, "Well, I needed a song that I could easily sing."

Chris nodded and said, "Fair enough. Alas, I can only give you a 7. Mostly because while the song itself is near perfect, its structure is not like that of a typical song."

"I don't know what you're talking about Chris, I liked it. I'm giving egghead here a 9," Chef disagreed.

Lindsay blinked and said, "I wasn't paying too much attention. I'll just give a score between Chip and Chef. So 8, right?"

"Yes Lindsay. That is correct. Now if my math is correct, the person joining Jennifer in immunity is Emily, who had 3 points less than Jennifer. Congratulations girls," Chris said before looking back up from the score sheet, "The elimination ceremony is going to be in an hour. Until then, go do something while we get set up."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: At first, I was going to sing a Weird Al song like Joseph suggested, but then I realized that I wouldn't need to be able to hit tons of tones and keys if I sang Bohemian Rhapsody. Now for tonight's elimination, I'll have to see what Joseph suggests. Somehow, someway, one of the people in a relationship has to leave for my plan against Joseph to succeed.

Joseph: Well, that probably could have gone better. Oh well, now to execute the first part of my plan to take out the rest of the competition. I must split up a couple, since it's almost guaranteed that they'll be voting together. At this point, a vote against Geoff would probably be able to be pulled off, since he didn't do well in the challenge.

* * *

Bridgette, Mikey, Geoff and Megan were all sitting in the cafeteria. "Man, this sucks," Mikey muttered.

"Hmm? What did you say," Megan asked.

The gamer looked up and said, "It sucks that at this point in the game, it's tougher to figure out who to vote for. Most of the people left are my friends."

"I hear that bro," Geoff agreed before adding, "So who should we vote for?"

"How about we agree to vote for who we think is right," Bridgette suggested, "We don't really need to all agree. Just let the votes fall as they may, right?"

Megan nodded and replied, "That makes sense. Well, see you later guys, I've gotta think things through."

"You want me to come with you? If not, I understand," Mikey asked.

"Sure, I could use some company," the nice girl confirmed with a nod.

The recent couple got up and left the room, leaving only Geoff and Bridgette. "So who do you think you should vote for Bridge? I can't really decide, so I'll vote for whoever you vote for," Geoff asked his girlfriend.

Bridgette sighed and said, "I'm not sure, it's a really tough decision. I'm thinking of voting for Noah, mostly because of his sour attitude."

The party boy nodded and said, "If you think that's the best call Bridge, then go for it."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: In the end, Megan and I decided to vote together for Izzy. I mean, she's caused me quite a bit of pain, so it's only natural that I would vote for her.

* * *

Noah was sitting in the library reading a book, trying to figure out how Joseph planned to actually carry out his plan. "Geoff's one of the most well liked people here, good luck with that Joseph," the know it all muttered under his breath.

At this moment, Cody entered and said, "Hey Noah."

"Not that you aren't allowed to come in here, but why are you here," Noah asked, looking up from his book.

"Emily forgot something in here earlier and I said I would get it for here," the tech geek replied.

In response to this Noah chuckled and made a noise that was meant to sound like a whip cracking. "Oh very funny Noah. At least I have a girlfriend," Cody replied with a roll of his eyes.

"It was a joke Cody, relax. Anyways, you know who you're voting for," Noah asked.

Cody shook his head and said, "Not a clue. What about you?"

Noah realized he could work this to his advantage and said, "I'm not certain yet, but I'm probably going to vote for Geoff. He did the worst in this challenge, so why not? He's also a bit of a physical threat too, which is something I can't overlook."

"That's actually a good point Noah. But what about Bridgette? She won't take his elimination well," Cody pointed out.

"That's what I don't get. Why do people think eliminations mean you'll never see them again? There's only like a week left in this contest anyways, I'm sure that they could manage to be apart for a week. Besides, sooner or later, couples will have to be split up. And sooner or later, they'll band together to take out some of the others. It would be smart to break up some of them to help survive this game," Noah mentioned.

Cody looked to be deep in thought and said, "That's a good point actually. I have to get going. Later Noah."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: Noah has a point. It might be smart to break up one of the couples, especially since the other two couples are already part of a group. Maybe Emily and I should vote for one of them. Geoff would probably be the best choice because he did do the worst in the challenge today. Damn, and here I thought the competition would get easier when it was basically just me and my friends.

* * *

Joseph stood in one of the lab rooms on the second floor of the school and looked out over the soccer fields, where remnants of the go-kart track remained. The sky was quickly darkening and he grinned before saying, "This game is almost mine. All I need is one elimination to work out correctly to "Start the fire." And when all is said and done, I will be the only one left standing."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I think I've gotten things to work out the way I wanted. Sorry about this, but this is the only logical option.

Noah: If my counter-plan is going to work, you have to be voted out. Sorry Geoff.

Megan: Mikey and I talked it over, and we're voting for Izzy. She's had it coming for too long, in my opinion.

Jennifer: You're really nice and I wish I didn't have to do this, but I need to. I'm sorry.

* * *

Chris stood at the podium, which was back in its proper place and said, "Welcome to yet another elimination ceremony. You know how this works. You get a pass, you go on to the next round. You don't, you're out. If you don't get a pass, you must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers. And you can't come back ever! With that said, passes to our immunity winners: Jennifer and Emily. Also getting passes are Bridgette, Joseph, Cody, Megan and Mikey."

The seven teens got up to collect their passes. Izzy was glaring at Chris, looking at the passes in his hand intently. Noah raised an eyebrow and looked at the two next to him. Geoff looked slightly worried and began to grip his hat.

"The next pass goes to Noah," Chris said as the know-it-all got his pass. Chris looked between the final two and said, "This is the final pass. It goes to…"

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"Izzy. You have survived yet another elimination. Sorry to say this Geoff, but you've been eliminated," Chris said, giving the final pass to Izzy.

Bridgette sunk down into a seat and said, "No. This can't be."

"Dude, this sucks," Geoff said, tipping his hat over his eyes.

He got up and walked over to Bridgette, who was starting to sob quietly. Geoff knelt down and said, "Bridgette, come on, don't cry. I won't be gone for too long."

"But I'm going to miss you," the surfer quietly said.

Geoff knelt down and said, "I'll miss you too babe. Come here." The surfer continued to sob as Geoff gave her a hug. "Want to give me a goodbye kiss," the party boy asked.

His response was his girlfriend throwing herself at him, giving him the kiss to end all goodbye kisses.

"Whoa," Mikey whispered to his girlfriend, "Think we should be taking notes?"

Chef walked in and grasped Geoff's shoulder, saying, "Come on Party Boy, time to go."

The couple separated their kiss and Geoff said, "You can do this Bridgette, I believe in you."

"Thanks Geoff. I'll win this for you," Bridgette cried out as her boyfriend exited the room. At this point, the contestants began to file out and prepare to head back to the hotel.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Was that difficult to watch? A little bit yes. I must admit that I don't like breaking up the couples, but it's something that must be done if I am to win.

Jennifer: Man, I know exactly what Bridgette is going through right now. I felt the same way when Trent was eliminated. I feel like if anyone can cheer her up, it's me!

* * *

Bus Confessional

Geoff: I wish I could've gotten more time to spend with my girl, but I guess getting to the final 10 isn't bad. You can do this Bridgette, I believe in you babe! If you don't win, I guess the next person I would want to win is Mikey. Good luck guys, you'll need it!

* * *

Chris was picking up some miscellaneous papers left on the table from the challenge when he faced the camera and said, "And after a song-filled day, it's Geoff who goes home. And as the number of contestants gets thinned out, the amount of drama grows! Will Joseph be as unstoppable as he claims? Can Noah pull off his plan? Will Bridgette be depressed tomorrow? Find out the answers to these questions, as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Geoff – 5 (Joseph, Noah, Cody, Emily, Izzy)

Izzy – 3 (Mikey, Megan, Jennifer)

Noah –2 (Bridgette, Geoff)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff

Contestants Remaining: Cody, Noah, Bridgette, Izzy, Mikey, Joseph, Jennifer, Emily, Megan (9 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

Initially, Geoff was going to leave earlier, like somewhere in the first 8-10 eliminated. Then I realized many TD fanfics have Geoff leave relatively early so I kept him around to help buck that trend.

* * *

So yeah, about how late this is: I have no excuse. I wanted this to come out nearly two months ago, at the beginning of September, and if you read any of my other fanfics, you would know that. But I lost focus on finishing this chapter. Schoolwork isn't that big a problem, as I usually have a couple of hours to do whatever every day. If anything, I guess getting my new laptop and then downloading Team Fortress 2 was the main reason this ran so late (which if any of you play TF2 on Steam, add me as a friend. Just search "Blazerxz" and I should pop up. My profile icon on Steam is Ike from Fire emblem). I plan on getting my act in gear and being more punctual with updates, as I want to finish this story soon. I had at one point had big plans for multiple sequels to this, and I've already changed my mind to just one sequel, but that may not happen depending on how long this takes to finish and how relevant Total Drama is in the months/years to come. I can't make any promises on when the next update is, but I can guarantee that it will be quicker than this one.

Anyways, about this chapter, it was kind of a cop-out kind of challenge, which makes it all the more saddening that this chapter took so long to write. It was rushed toward the end because I told one of my reviewers that I would get it done this weekend. I've got big plans for the final 8 challenges though, so they should hopefully feel less rushed. As always, please review (I'll stop asking for you to review if you actually review, by the way). That's all in terms of news from me. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: First singing and now something artistic? Could this be a two-challenge win streak for Jennifer?


	18. Chapter 15: Look at the pretty pictures!

Disclaimer: Total Drama and it's characters do not belong to me. Only the OC's, the location and the challenges (for the most part) are my ideas.

* * *

Chris was standing in front of the high school, wearing an artist's smock over his usual clothes. He held up his arms and said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! We put the final ten's singing skills to the test. Some of them had wonderful voices, like Jennifer and Emily. Others, like Geoff, were not as good at singing. As for our pair of dueling schemers, they were both freaking out but for different reasons. Joseph was a bit panicked because his choice of who he was most confident in beating in the final, Nicholas, had been eliminated and Noah was worried because he was down a person in his plan to take down Joseph. At the end of the day, Geoff had to say goodbye to a distraught Bridgette, partly due to his singing. So what drama is in store for the contestants today? Can Jennifer or Emily pull a 2 challenge win streak? And how depressed will Bridgette be? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

The final nine were sitting on the bus, trying to evaluate their competition. They were almost to the home stretch and none of them wanted to lose now. Well, almost no one.

"I miss Geoff," Bridgette said with a slight sob. The surfer girl had been crying for part of the night because she was saddened over her boyfriend's elimination. It was clear when the others saw Bridgette this morning that she had been crying as her eyes were bloodshot.

Jennifer was sitting next to the surfer girl, patting her fellow blond-haired girl on the back. "I know what you're going through, trust me I do. I felt like this when Trent was eliminated. But saying you want to drop out of the contest isn't worth it. It's actually really silly," Jennifer commented as she tried to cheer up her friend.

Bridgette sniffed and said, "I know it's silly and I shouldn't be feeling so sad over this, but I want to be with him."

Jennifer tilted her head to the side and asked, "I know the two of you are really close Bridgette, but from the sounds of it, you don't get to see him very often, which is why you're so sad right now. Is this true?"

Bridgette slowly nodded in response to this question. Megan, who was sitting nearby, added, "But don't you two live near each other? Haven't you gone to parties at his house?"

"I do sometimes, but not very often. A lot of times his parties are on the same day as something I had already planned to do. And while he doesn't live far away by any means, it's not easy getting to his house. If the traffic there weren't so much of a hassle I would see him a lot more than I do," Bridgette said quietly with a sigh.

Jennifer put a hand on Bridgette's shoulder and said, "Look at it this way Bridgette, you got to be with him since the beginning of the competition and he's rooting for you now. How do you think he would feel if you just dropped out?"

Bridgette sighed and said, "He would probably be disappointed in me, and my friends and family would be too. Still, aren't I allowed some time to be sad now that my boyfriend isn't here?"

"By all means you are, just don't let it dominate you," Megan said with a nod, concerned over her sad friend.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Bridgette: I know I shouldn't be this sad, but I just can't help it. I'm not sure why I'm getting this emotional over things, especially since I'll be seeing Geoff again in a week. I guess this is part of the reason the show's called 'Total Drama' isn't it?

Jennifer: I can relate to Bridgette, I was feeling exactly the same after Trent was eliminated. And while I know it's hard, she needs to not let Geoff's elimination hit her too hard. I let that happen to me and I bet I was close to being eliminated when that happened. Hopefully the challenge won't be too miserable today, if it is that might not make things better for Bridgette.

* * *

Mikey was sitting by himself for once. As he told Megan that morning, he had to think things out. Geoff's elimination last night had come at a bit of a surprise to the gamer, as the party boy was well liked. 'I have to wonder if someone was behind Geoff being eliminated. Geoff and Bridgette are both well liked people, maybe somebody persuaded people into thinking they would always vote together and were a threat? But Megan and I are also well liked. Could that mean something like that could happen to us,' Mikey thought running through everything in his head.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice as Cody moved to the seat in front of him and call out his name. "Mikey? Anyone home," the tech geek asked, waving a hand in front of the gamer's face. It wasn't until Cody lightly punched him in the shoulder that he was shaken from his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh Cody I didn't see you there. Sorry I was thinking about things," Mikey said, acknowledging the tech geek.

Cody shook his head and said, "I could see that. What were you thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mikey shrugged and replied, "Oh just the game in general. You know, who was eliminated, who's here, what future challenges might be, that sort of thing."

"Trying to figure out how much longer you'll last," Cody asked.

Mikey shrugged again and said, "I've gotten more here than I ever thought I would. If I were to go home today I would be happy."

Cody nodded and replied, "Yeah, I could say the same thing. Still, I wonder who it is that will win it all in the end."

Mikey turned and looked out the window and said, "Yeah."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: I'll be honest with you, I never thought I would make it this far. And now that I've realized how close I am to actually winning, I should start strategizing. See, while we may all be friends, or at the very least not enemies, it can't be denied that Noah and Joseph are the biggest threats. The question is, what's the best way to approach this? Should Megan and I form a temporary alliance with Cody and Emily so we don't try and split each other up, since couples could be viewed as alliances? What about Bridgette, Megan's best friend? Where would she fit in all this? As much as I would like to just leave everything alone and let whatever happens happen, I want to have some sort of plan. Unfortunately, trying to come up with a plan and wrapping my head around all the possibilities is giving me a headache.

* * *

Noah and Joseph were sitting together near the front of the bus, where Joseph was thinking of the next move he was to make. "At this point, I think it's obvious we need to split up one of the couples. The question is which one? I'm not sure if it makes any difference in the end which one, but are there short-term benefits to splitting up one over the other," Joseph mused.

Noah looked over and asked, "Is all this planning really necessary? If it makes no difference later on, then why overthink it?"

Joseph raised an eyebrow and replied, "Are you kidding me? We're only as far as we are because of my planning."

"And I don't deny that. But think about it, it's highly unlikely that two people will win immunity today, given how there's nine of us left. So in theory that gives you three different options, right? If that's the case, we should let things happen however they happen and vote depending on whoever wins immunity," Noah replied with a shrug.

Joseph looked out the window for a moment and nodded and said, "You know what? That sounds like a decent idea. Let's go with it." Noah simply nodded and before returning his attention to his book, but unbeknownst to Joseph, the gears were turning in Noah's head as well.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Noah: If I am to overthrow Joseph, I have to make sure there is as much leniency in how these next few eliminations go as possible. What I need right now is uncertainty, as that's the one thing that can take Joseph down right now. (The know-it-all thinks for a few seconds, then sighs) You know, looking back, I regret ever starting this alliance. It's caused nothing but trouble and I doubt many of the contestants will look kindly at me after all this is over.

Joseph: I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, but my plans so far have relied far too much on one specific person not winning immunity. Noah is right, I need to have several different plans, in case my main one fails.

* * *

Emily was staring out the window, thinking to herself when Izzy popped up between the dancer and the window. "Ah! Izzy! What are you doing here," Emily asked as she jumped slightly.

"Izzy was bored so she thought she would talk to someone," Izzy replied, sitting in the seat in front of Emily.

Emily regained her composure and said, "Oh okay. What did you want to talk about?"

Izzy shrugged and said, "Anything I guess. What were you doing, looking out the window?"

"I was thinking about everything that's happened," Emily replied with a giggle.

"Thinking about Cody are you," Izzy suggested with a grin.

"No! Well, maybe a little," Emily replied, looking to the ground.

Izzy laughed and pat the short girl's shoulder and said, "I don't know Cody that much, but he's a great guy. You should be lucky you have him. If I weren't with Owen I would probably want to be with Cody, or maybe Ezekiel."

Emily raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off and said, "Speaking of Owen, do you miss him?"

Izzy nodded and said, "I do. I wished he could have competed. But I'm having fun here, so it's not so bad being away from him. Plus he pops up every now and then after challenges, so I still get to see him."

"Well that's good I suppose. A perk of being an intern I guess," Emily noted.

Izzy nodded again before lowering her voice to a whisper, "And just so you know, while I haven't heard anything more than rumors, supposedly a couple of people from this season will be interns next season. So maybe you'll get a chance to intern! We could hang out all season!"

Emily shrugged and said, "That would be nice. And I could be with Cody."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Emily: I actually learned a lot about Izzy from just that short conversation. Despite whatever appearance she may have, she's just as emotional as the rest of us, and she's actually hiding her sadness at Owen not being here. She may be stronger-willed than the rest of us, actually. And she might have gone out with Cody if it weren't for Owen? That was really interesting actually.

* * *

The bus pulled up to the school and the teens stood out front waiting for Chris. The host exited the school, coffee in hand and said, "Alright you guys, challenge time. Follow me."

"What, no subtle hint or anything about the challenge," Mikey asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Trust me, it's much easier if you just follow me," Chris said, walking back into the school.

The teens shared glances of confusion or concern and then followed Chris into the school. As they walked down the corridors to a section that few of them had been to, Chris said, "Alright, so today's challenge will be one to test your creativity. We're going to be having an art based challenge today. You basically have until three o'clock to create whatever you want with the materials in the art room. You can make a painting, a clay model, a black and white sketch, whatever. At three, I'm bringing in our guest to help judge your art. He'll pick whatever he deems the best piece of art and whoever created it will win immunity."

"Who's the judge going to be," Emily asked while raising her hand.

"I'm not going to tell you. You might try to make something that would appeal to them," Chris said with a smirk.

Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you keep bringing these special guests in if you have interns to do the job for you?"

Chris shook his head and said, "Having Duncan, Owen and the others as interns wasn't working out well for us. They just stood around most of the time, so we told them their services weren't required anymore. If we need one of them, we'll bring them back. Any other questions?" It was silent for a half minute before Chris said, "Well? What are you waiting for? You're burning your available time here!" The teens rushed into the art studio to begin their work.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: I've gotta admit, I'm not that great at art. Never really something I could get into. If we knew who the judge was, I might have had a chance, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. Oh well, I'll try and hope for the best.

Megan: Eh, we could have had a worse challenge. While I'm not great at art, I've been told that I can do some pretty good sketches. I wonder who the judge is though? I'm guessing it's not any of the former interns, but it would be just like Chris to trick us by bringing one of them back.

Izzy: This works out perfectly for me! I can create another one of my paint bombs! There's no way I'll be able to lose when I blow that up!

* * *

The final nine spread out in the large portion of the school where all the art classes used to be held. Some quickly rushed to the supplies, knowing what they were going to do, while others talked to friends, trying to figure out what they would be doing. Mikey was walking over to a table where Megan was already starting to sketch something on a piece of paper.

As he walked across the room, Izzy blew right past him with several cans of paint and some type of plastic in her hands. The gamer blinked in confusion before shrugging it off, walking over to his girlfriend. He sat down next to her and said, "Well all right then."

Looking up from her work, Megan said, "I don't think I understand what you mean by that."

"Izzy just ran past me with a lot of paint. I'm not sure what she's up to but it can't be good," Mikey replied, casting a glance in the direction that Izzy ran to.

The nice girl shrugged and said, "That's a safe bet. Though do you ever think she's not usually like this?"

Mikey raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, that she acts crazy because it helps her to stand out and get noticed? It's possible I suppose. Anyways, what are you working on there?"

"I took a class in school about sketching so I was going to sketch something. I'm just not sure what yet, but I'm just doing some quick doodles to get a feel for it again. I haven't practiced in a while," Megan replied.

"Well, since we don't know anything about who is going to judge the challenge, why not just go for something kind of generic, like a fruit bowl or something? It's not exciting, but it might just work," the gamer suggested.

Megan tapped the unsharpened end of her pencil on the paper in front of her and said, "That might work. But where am I going to get the fruit?"

Mikey got up from his seat and said, "I'll get it for you."

"Are you sure," Megan asked.

The gamer nodded and said, "Yeah, I kind of suck at art anyways, so I doubt I can win this challenge. I'll throw something together when I get back just in case I get auto eliminated if I don't do anything."

Megan smiled and said, "Thanks."

Mikey smiled back and said, "Not a problem, I would do anything for you." The gamer walked away to find some fruit and unbeknownst to him, his girlfriend had a deep blush on her cheeks.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: Mikey would really do anything for me? That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I had a couple of boyfriends before I came on to this show, but they never said anything so sweet.

Mikey: Yeah, things like art and music aren't really part of my skill set. That's why I don't mind helping Megan. Well, that and I don't want to go screwing everything up with her. I've never had a girlfriend before and I would rather not ruin my first relationship.

* * *

In another area of the art department, Jennifer and Bridgette were sitting down, listening to calming music. They had several types of paint in front of them and were working on paintings in hope that they could win immunity. "I know you're sad that Geoff isn't here, but this is nice isn't it? A nice, calming challenge today as opposed to some other challenges this season," Jennifer said, as she turned to Bridgette.

Bridgette nodded and said, "This is nice, I have to admit. This feels very soothing and it's like what I do back home when I'm upset over something, well minus the painting. That was a good call by the way, painting seems to fit this whole mood too. What are you painting, anyways?"

The performing artist turned back to her work and said, "I'm going to paint a guitar with music notes around it. It seems kind of silly I bet."

"Not at all. I'm painting an ocean mural, with fish and dolphins in it, which could be just as silly," Bridgette said with a slight giggle before she sighed and said, "Thanks for doing all this to cheer me up. I think I needed it."

Jennifer put a hand on Bridgette's shoulder and said, "Hey, what are friends for, right? Besides, I know what you're going through, only I didn't really have anyone trying to help me. If I had continued to be depressed over Trent's elimination, I probably would have been eliminated by now. I don't want you to go through what I went through."

The surfer girl smiled ever so slightly and said, "Well again, thank you for going to all the trouble of trying to cheer me up."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: I'm glad the challenge today was easy. If it were stressful I probably wouldn't be able to deal with it. Come to think of it, the challenges this season have been pretty tame compared to past seasons. Makes me worry about how insane the challenges next season will be, to be honest. **[1]**

Jennifer: I'm not sure what compelled me to paint a guitar. Some people back home say I'm obsessed with acting and playing guitar, and maybe I am. But it's what I love to do so who cares? They say if you do what you love you'll always be happy.

* * *

Joseph was currently hard at work sketching something out on a piece of paper, which Noah noticed from nearby. "You mind telling me what you're working on there," Noah asked with a raised eyebrow.

Without taking his attention away from what he was doing, Joseph said, "If I'm focused enough and have enough time, I can draw really impressive things. I'm drawing a rose because I don't know who the judge is and I can't tailor the end result to their liking."

Noah raised an eyebrow and said, "I see. Alas, I have no chance of winning this challenge because I am not very artistic. Any suggestions you could offer me?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you play a lot of video games right? Why not use modeling clay and create one of the characters from a video game," Joseph asked, trying to remain as focused as possible.

"That might just work. Thanks for the idea," Noah said as he walked away to find modeling clay. As he walked, Noah was thinking, 'While I may not like him much anymore, I have to admit he's got some good ideas.'

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: So I know Joseph is basically the main antagonist this season, the villain if you will. And maybe helping him thus far wasn't my brightest of ideas, but I still don't like all this scheming I'm doing to get him eliminated. What makes me better than him in that regard? I'm doing the exact same thing he's doing, yet people will probably see me as the "hero" for getting rid of the person responsible for all the drama. These are the things I'm asking myself right now, but I still have a job I have to do, and I plan on completing it.

* * *

Cody and Emily were sitting together, trying to brainstorm ideas as to what they could do for the challenge. "Well if it weren't for the fact that Chris put us here, I would suggest you dancing, since that could be considered an art. And you would probably win the challenge too," Cody complimented, remembering what his girlfriend was skilled at.

"Aw, thanks," Emily said with a smile before she developed a somewhat flirty look and added, "Besides, I could always show you one of my dances some other time, when we're alone."

Cody's face became bright red with a large blush as he stammered, "Oh, well, uh, that's kind and all, but uh, you don't have to."

Emily started to laugh as she said, "I was kidding Cody! Hehe, you're so cute when you're embarrassed."

The blush failed to fade from Cody's face as he said, "Hey, that wasn't very funny."

"Sorry Cody. But seriously, shortly after the season ends I've got a recital and I would love it if you could come watch me," Emily said before kissing Cody's cheek.

Cody took a deep breath before he smiled and said, "I would love to. But right now shouldn't we worry about figuring out what we're gonna do for this challenge?"

The dancer nodded and said, "Yeah, we should. But what should we do?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I'm not great at art but I might make a small sculpture thing. I can even label it as modern art, since that tends to look pretty crazy," the tech geek replied with a shrug.

"Well it's good you have an idea, but I still don't know what to do," Emily said with a sigh.

Cody put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, I'll help you figure something out."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Emily: Cody's such a sweetie. He wasn't mad over my joke and he's so willing to help me in the challenges. And to think I was lucky enough to be selected to be on this season. If it weren't for me being picked, I would be just another one of his fans. I'm worried that there are some other fans that might try to steal him from me, but as long as we're going out, I'll do whatever I can to stop them.

* * *

Izzy was setting up what she was going to do. She was in a small closet that she covered in white paper. She cackled to herself and said, "All right, once I set up the C4, I'll set the paint up around it. Then I'll go outside the room and set off the Boom-Boom! Then the paint should be perfect! Hahahaha!" Izzy finished wiring up some stuff with the plastic compound, set up the paint cans around it and then exited the room. She grinned as she pushed down on the plunger. A small explosion shook the immediate area as Izzy's homemade bomb destroyed the paint cans, sending paint flying in the small closet. When the smoke cleared, Izzy grinned in excitement once more.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: Yes! My homemade bomb worked! And I was able to make it with stuff I found lying around. I learned that when I was spying on the RCMP, before I was on the run from them. I would tell you, but if they're too busy chasing everyone else, the moose will take over Canada. Can't let that happen, sorry.

* * *

Mikey was walking back to Megan with some fruit when the building shook from Izzy's explosion. "The hell? You know what, it's better that I just not ask," the gamer muttered to himself as he walked back to his girlfriend.

Along the way, he passed by Cody. Mikey turned and said, "Hey Cody. You mind if I ask what you're doing for the challenge?"

"Oh hey Mikey. I was gonna make some modern art sculpture thing. What about you," the tech geek asked.

"Not sure yet. I promised my girlfriend I would help her first. I suck at art anyways," the gamer replied.

Cody chuckled and said, "That makes two of us. Anyways good luck."

"You too," Mikey said as he headed back to his girlfriend. Once Cody was out of earshot, Mikey muttered, "Damn, should have asked him."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I had the perfect opportunity to ask Cody what he thought about a temporary alliance just to last us a few rounds. I was going too, but then I remembered Bridgette and told myself I was going to think over it some more. (The gamer sighs) Why does this have to be so complicated?

* * *

Mikey made his way back to where his girlfriend was and saw that she had gotten paper, several pencils and a bowl and was ready to draw. He began walking over and Megan turned to see him approaching. "Mikey, you're back. And you got fruit for me to draw. Thank you so much! Seriously, you're a huge help," the nice girl said with a cheer as she began to arrange the fruit.

"Don't mention it," Mikey said with a smile before shrugging and continuing, "It's not like I had any idea what I was gonna do for the challenge anyways. Well at least I didn't have an idea before. I'm gonna do a sketch of something. In the one art class I was required to take freshman year, I was really good at sketching. Everything else, not so much."

Megan finished arranging the hug and hugged Mikey before saying, "Don't worry too much over it. I'm sure whoever is judging the challenge will understand we don't have a lot of time to make things."

"You're right," Mikey said with a smile. He then stared off into space for a moment while Megan began to draw the fruit she had arranged. After a couple minutes of silence, Mikey asked, "Hey Megan? You ever wonder if we should try to make plans?"

"Plans? What do you mean," the nice girl responded.

"Well you know, plans to help us get further into the game. I'm worried that something's gonna go wrong and we'll be eliminated. I figured Geoff and Bridgette were safe and now look at what happened. I know the odds of us both getting to the finals are slim to none, but I would like to see one of us make it that far, you know? But if that's going to happen, we should make plans," Mikey explained.

Megan turned to her boyfriend and said, "Let's not worry about that. I never thought I would make it this far, yet here I am. And I never thought I would meet the sweetest guy ever too. If I lose, I would be happy."

Mikey continued staring out the window he was looking out of before turning toward Megan and said, "You're right. Thanks Megan."

* * *

Jennifer and Bridgette were starting to put finer details on their paintings. Jennifer had the bulk of the guitar drawn in her picture while Bridgette had the seafloor and ocean done and was now working on painting the ocean life. Bridgette reached for a different type of paint as she said, "Hey Jennifer? Can I ask you a question?"

The performing artist, who had been humming, replied, "Of course you can."

"What exactly was it that helped you get over Trent not being here," Bridgette asked as she turned to face the other blonde haired girl.

"Well, to be honest, I still miss him, but with the help of some of the others, realized that I shouldn't let that affect how I play the game. The first thing was just time. I needed some time to think and get over it and stuff. I was also told that Trent wouldn't want to see me moping about. He would want me to enjoy myself," Jennifer stated.

The surfer girl nodded and said, "I see."

Jennifer put a hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "If you want some advice on how to get over Geoff's elimination, I would say exactly what was said to me. In time you'll start feeling better and he would want you to enjoy your time here. We only have one shot at the prize, but we'll have plenty of time with our boyfriends later after the season or even after the show as a whole is done."

Bridgette commented, "That was really insightful. Have you considered studying philosophy?"

"I did at one point, but then I realized that would probably be boring," Jennifer replied before the two girls shared a laugh.

* * *

Noah had returned with a bunch of clay and a laptop with had the picture of a 3D model of a video game character on it. The character had blue hair with some armor covering his left shoulder. On his right shoulder he wore no armor but a strange tattoo-like mark was present. The figure was also holding a sword.

Noah was muttering to himself as he worked, "I'm going to have to ignore the minor details on his clothing. It's going to be hard enough to correctly shape the sword and get the mark onto his shoulder, I don't need to worry about little details like belt buckles and the like."

Joseph looked up from his work and asked, "Uh, what are you doing talking to yourself Noah? Makes you look somewhat crazy."

Noah was busy scrutinizing the picture on the computer screen but said, "I'm simply making mental notes as to what I have to skip on this model, due to time constraints."

"Yeah, but out loud mental notes? Seems a bit strange if you ask me," Joseph said with a shrug.

"It's what I'm used to back home. My parents and siblings never really come into my room unless they absolutely need to," Noah replied, "I've never been very social. Perhaps that's why my parents signed me up for this show. Or maybe they just wanted me out of the house for a while. Either way, I can tell that I'm their least favorite child."

"You realize your family probably watches this show and they can hear everything you say, right," Joseph asked, raising an eyebrow.

Noah shrugged and replied, "If that's what it takes for them to realize things, so be it. My parents tend to ignore me and my oldest siblings often make fun of me. As odd as it seems, I'm tempted at times to say I like being here, despite Chris and everything." Noah got back to working on his model as Joseph looked at his ally with his hand on his chin.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Look, I know I've been pretty cutthroat this game. I have my reasons for needing to win and I'll leave it at that. But that doesn't mean that I can't have a conscience, no? I'm surprised to hear that Noah has a relatively rough home life, and I feel somewhat sorry for him. I wish the best of luck for him and that his home life will improve after the show is done.

* * *

Cody had returned to where Emily was with a multitude of art supplies and random objects. Emily looked at the large pile of things and said, "Wow, that's a lot of stuff you got there. What are you going to do with it?"

"I have no idea," Cody said with a sigh, before turning to his girlfriend and saying, "But I'll help you figure something else first. Do you have any idea what you want to do now?"

Emily shook her head and said, "I'm not really sure. I was thinking a sculpture or something but that sounds like what you wanted to do."

Cody tapped his chin in thought for a few seconds before he suggested, "What if we work on a sculpture together? Chris never said we couldn't."

Emily perked up and said, "Sure! But what if only one of us can get credit for it?"

"Then you can have it," Cody said with a smile before shrugging, "Besides, I don't think I'm in much danger of being eliminated today anyway."

"Aw, you're so sweet," Emily said while hugging Cody before remarking, "I sometimes wonder if I'm not worthy of you."

Cody looked at Emily and said, "Are you kidding? You're one of the nicest girls I've ever met and you like me for who I am. If anything, I don't deserve someone as fantastic as you."

Emily blushed and said, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," Cody said with a nod. Emily closed her eyes and smiled as she continued to hug Cody. The hug went on for several seconds before Cody said, "Emily, while I really like this, don't you think we should work on the sculpture?"

Emily broke the hug and nodded, saying, "Yeah. Let's get started!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: I'm glad I came up with the idea of both of us making a sculpture. Neither Emily nor I have much artistic skills so naturally having us work together is the best option. And at this point in the game I don't see myself or Emily going home so I don't really need to worry. Honestly, I think the most likely to go home are either Joseph, Noah or Izzy. Joseph and Noah are insanely smart and Izzy's just too much of a loose cannon to be kept around.

* * *

Over the course of several hours, the final 9 worked on their art. When the deadline approached, Chef Hatchet or the interns went around handing out large tarps to cover the art projects. Five minutes before the deadline, Chris had everyone gather in the cafeteria and get ready to display their projects.

Once everyone was assembled, Chris clapped his hands and said, "Okay, the creation part of the challenge is officially over. We'll get started with the judging in just a minute. Chef, is the judge ready to begin?"

"Huh? How should I know," Chef Hatchet asked.

"Well is he here yet," Chris asked before looking at a watch, "He should have been here by now."

"Not to worry Chris, I am here," came a voice from the doorway. Standing in the doorway was a tall Hispanic individual with shoulder length brown hair and a short goatee wearing a red shirt under a white undershirt and gray pants.

The nine remaining contestants stared at him, trying to figure out who this stranger was. "I don't know why, but I can't shake the feeling I met him before," Bridgette said.

Cody nodded and said, "He does look a little familiar."

The mystery person flashed a charming smile and said, "The reason I look familiar is because I was at the film lot after Chris rescued you from that canyon. For those who don't know or don't remember, my name is Alejandro. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. And for those competing next season, I'll be competing alongside you."

"So now that you've met or been reintroduced to Alejandro, it's time for him to judge your art," Chris explained with a grin.

Noah raised an eyebrow and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why was he chosen to judge?"

Alejandro chuckled and said, "My parents own an art gallery. As such, I've picked up a few things about art."

"Makes sense. Besides, I doubt anyone else would've been a better choice," Noah said with a shrug.

The Hispanic made his way over to Izzy, who was bouncing up and down with excitement. "So, what is it you made," Alejandro asked with a charming smile.

Izzy handed some pictures to the Hispanic and said, "I took a couple of blank canvases and made paint splatter art! It would have been too hard to move them here, so I took a picture of them. If you want, I can show you the actual canvases though."

"No need, these pictures do it justice. You took pictures from every angle too, very nice. I like the color splatters. Makes it feel reminiscent of art from the 80's if I'm not mistaken," Alejandro said while looking over the pictures.

Izzy pumped an arm in excitement and said, "So how did I do?"

Alejandro handed the pictures back and said, "I'm not going to assign scores to anyone until I see everything. It's the only fair way I could grade you. So that means I'm going to end up just picking the flat out winner."

"Makes sense," Izzy said with a nod.

Alejandro moved away from the crazy girl and made his way to where Mikey and Megan were standing. "So which of you would like to go first," Alejandro asked, looking at the couple.

"I'll go," Mikey said while uncovering his piece of art, "And I made a portrait of my girlfriend. I'll admit it isn't great, and it's just an initial sketch, but you can't win them all, right?"

Alejandro looked at the sketch of Megan and said, "Given what little time you had, it's not bad. Granted, it's not a masterpiece either. Though I will appreciate that you tried to round out the appropriate edges, especially considering that rough sketches don't really do that."

"All I can say is that I tried my best," the gamer replied.

"And what about you," the Hispanic asked as he turned to Megan.

The nice girl revealed her drawing and said, "I drew a bowl of fruit. Maybe it's cliché, but I am satisfied with how it came out."

"Beautiful, simply beautiful. And your picture is amazing too," Alejandro said with a laugh, causing Mikey to look at the Hispanic with an uneasy look.

Megan was flustered as she said, "Um, thanks."

Alejandro looked at the picture and said, "Wow, the attention to detail here is amazing. You even have the stem from the apple drawn with such care. I'm impressed."

"Thanks," Megan said with a slight smile.

Alejandro smiled and said, "Fitting that such a beautiful girl created such a wonderful piece of art. Anyways, I must be off." The Hispanic walked away as Mikey had an anxious look on his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: What the hell was that all about?

Megan: I'm not really sure how to respond to that. Sure, it was flattering, but he realized I was in a relationship, right?

* * *

Alejandro moved over to Jennifer and Bridgette, who were near each other during the judging. "Hola Chicas," the Hispanic greeted with a smile, "Who would like to go first?"

"I will," Jennifer volunteered as she took the cover off of her painting.

Alejandro examined the music themed painting and said, "Very nice. I've seen a little bit of this season and from what I know of you, this is very fitting."

Jennifer nodded and said, "Thank you."

"My pleasure. And the colors you used are certainly vibrant. Adds a certain beauty to it. Fitting however, as the quality of art is said to be a representation of the artist," Alejandro commented with a smile.

"Oh, well thank you," Jennifer said with a slight blush, as she picked up on Alejandro's compliment.

"And what about you Bridgette," Alejandro said while turning to the surfer, "What did you do?"

"I made a painting too. Except mine is of the ocean," Bridgette said, revealing her ocean scene.

Alejandro stood analyzing the painting for a few seconds before smiling and saying, "Very nice. It can't be easy to paint a scene of the ocean, yet you've pulled it off quite well. Though I expected nothing less from you, given how the ocean is like a second home to you."

Bridgette smiled very slightly and said, "Thanks. I tried to paint what I knew."

"Well you certainly knew what you were doing. You should be proud," Alejandro said before adding, "I must be off. I have four more people to look at before I make my decision."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: Alejandro seems to be quite the little flirt. Thankfully it seems like he knew I was with Geoff since he didn't flirt with me much. Still, if he is going to be a future contestant, he might want to keep that in check.

* * *

Alejandro made his way over to Noah and Joseph and said, "Afternoon Gentlemen. Let's not waste any time, shall we?"

Noah nodded and said, "Sounds good to me. I'll go first, I suppose." Noah revealed the model he had been working on. It was somewhat unfinished but certain details like the blue hair the figure had and the golden sword he carried were present. Noah also tried to implement a cape on the figure, with limited success.

"Interesting. From the looks of it, you tried to make a clay model, right? It's somewhat incomplete, but seeing as you did have only a few hours to work, I'm not surprised," Alejandro commented.

Noah scoffed and added, "Doesn't help that I'm not artistic."

Alejandro nodded and said, "That's another factor I suppose. Still, despite its flaws, I'm not going to penalize you too much on them. I understand you didn't get a whole lot of time to work and it shows."

"Moving on, since I'm a little anxious to get this done," Joseph said as he revealed his sketch, "What do you think of my work?" The sketch was an incredibly detailed picture of a rose. The shading on the drawing made it look almost real and little things like the veins on the leaves were included.

The Hispanic nodded and said, "I'm impressed. The attention to detail here is out of this world. I can't believe you got all of this done in such little time."

The overachiever smirked and said, "I strive for perfection."

"I can see that. This is easily in the top 3 things I've seen thus far," Alejandro said before adding, "Well, good luck gentlemen. I have two more people to question before my final judgment."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: You know, I don't know what I'll end up doing in the future but if all else fails I guess I have an art career I could fall back on.

* * *

Alejandro approached Cody and Emily and said with a smile, "Well I'm almost done here. Let's get started, shall we?" Cody nodded before pulling a cloth off of a large sculpture made out of random objects.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at here to be honest," the Hispanic noted.

"It's supposed to be modern art, or at least try to resemble it," Emily explained.

Alejandro nodded and said, "I see. Makes a bit more sense now. Did you both work on it?"

Cody nodded and replied, "Yeah. There wasn't a rule against it, was there?"

"As far as I know, no. I wouldn't put it past Chris to spring some random rule on you though," Alejandro replied before adding, "Well, I think I've seen all I need to. It's interesting to say the least."

"Yeah well when neither of us are big on artsy things, can't really expect much," Emily noted.

"I suppose so," Alejandro said before walking into the middle of the room and raising his voice to say," Now that I've seen what everyone has made, I have to give it a minute or two of thought. Please bear with me while I do so."

Alejandro exited the room and everything was quiet. The contestants whispered to each other things like who they guessed would win immunity or who they would vote for.

About two minutes after he left, Alejandro entered the room again and said, "After much thought, I have to award immunity to Megan. Her drawings were so detailed I couldn't give the win to anyone else. Congratulations."

The contestants clapped for the nice girl as Alejandro left the room and Chris walked in. The host smiled and said, "All right, so Megan wins invincibility. Elimination is in an hour, so get your votes in before then."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: Well this provides me with a couple of options. Another couple should be split up in order to allow me to sway more votes. The question is, which elimination is the most viable at this point in time? Regardless, I should try to scatter the votes.

* * *

Mikey was in the library, checking something on one of the computers. He heard the door open to see Joseph enter, who raised a hand to get the gamer's attention. The overachiever walked over and said, "Mikey, I need to talk to you real quick."

"Sure, what can I do for you," Mikey asked.

Joseph took a deep breath before he said, "Rumor has it that Cody and Emily want to eliminate you. Something about they think you'll split them up and they want to prevent that."

Mikey's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "I would never do that! I have to talk to them, get this sorted out."

"I'm afraid there might not be enough time at this point. If you want my advice, I would vote for one of them back, try to cancel the votes, you know? If you and Megan vote for one of them and they both vote for you, it basically nullifies your votes," Joseph explained.

Mikey nodded and said, "That might work. Thanks Joseph."

The overachiever waved his hand and replied, "Don't mention it. Literally, don't bring it up in front of Cody or Emily, they might try to deny it. Though I must say, it is kind of noble what they're doing, trying to look out for each other, so I guess they aren't really bad guys."

"That's probably the case. They want to keep each other safe. It's respectable I suppose," Mikey noted, beginning to get lost in thought.

"Well I must be off, see you around," Joseph said as he left the library.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: This complicates all the planning I had done earlier. I'm not sure what to think, to be honest. Though I think that their hands are forced at this point. We have to vote for our friends now, since we're all that are left in the contest. Still, there's too much to think about.

* * *

Emily and Cody were in the cafeteria, looking at their laughable excuse for art. "I'm glad Chris didn't make up some rule stating that everyone had to come up with something. Otherwise we would have been screwed," Cody noted with a slight laugh.

Emily giggled and said, "You can say that again. Still, I wonder who's getting eliminated tonight. I feel a bit bad for voting off Geoff yesterday."

Cody nodded and replied, "So do I. Joseph's logic made sense at the time. Now though, I'm not so sure."

The door opened and Joseph walked in, causing Emily to quietly remark, "Speak of the devil."

"Afternoon guys. I just came to tell you a rumor I heard floating around," Joseph told the couple.

"Oh, and what would that be," Cody inquired.

The overachiever looked at the pair for another second before he said, "Well, rumor has it that Megan and Mikey are going to vote for one of you two, probably to try and keep themselves safe. At this point in the game, I don't blame them. Two couples, and essentially mini-alliances, are here, they're bound to butt heads soon."

"So what are you saying," Emily asked.

"Vote for Mikey. That way your votes and their votes cancel out. Just don't accuse them of anything, as they would probably accuse you of the same thing, if I had to guess," Joseph replied with a reassuring smile.

"I hope you're right about this. I still feel bad about what happened to Geoff yesterday," Cody remarked.

Joseph shook his head and said, "Trust me, unless you're really unlucky, you two should be fine."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: And just like that, I've sown confusion and distrust among the competitors. As much as I would like to take Mikey out now as a final "Take That" sort of thing to Courtney, it's not possible yet. The real question is, between Cody and Emily, which elimination will benefit me in the long run?

Mikey: Well I talked to Megan about it. Neither of us really like the idea, but it's do or die, so to speak. I'm voting for Emily because while I like to think of both of them as friends, I get along with Cody just a little bit better.

Emily: I'm not sure if I can trust what Joseph told us, to be honest. He always seems to be going around, asking about who we're voting for and all that. Maybe he just doesn't want to make any enemies, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more to it. (The dancer sighs) Well, until I have evidence to prove he can't be trusted, I'll roll with it. I'll vote for Mikey.

* * *

Chris was standing at his podium, looking over the nine teens sitting before him. He held up the hall passes and said, "I have eight hall passes but there are nine of you sitting here before me. If you get a pass, you are safe and move on to the final 8. The person who does not get a pass must immediately walk the hall of shame to catch the bus of losers and can't return ever! The first pass goes to immunity winner Megan. Hall passes also go to Jennifer, Bridgette and Noah!"

The four contestants claimed their hall passes and sat back down, anxious to see how the ceremony would end. Chris eyed the five remaining teens for a few seconds before saying, "Joseph and Izzy also get passes."

As the number of safe contestants grew, Megan drew in a sharp breath, worried about her boyfriend. With the three still sitting in the seats, Cody and Emily grabbed each other's hand, worried if they were both going on. Mikey didn't seem particularly phased, though he was staring intently at the passes Chris was holding.

Chris tapped his chin for a moment before stating, "Cody gets the second to last pass." Cody let go of Emily's hand and smiled slightly toward the dancer before heading over with the others who were moving onto the next round. Chris held up the final pass and said, "This is the final pass. It goes to…"

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"Mikey. I'm sorry Emily, but this is where your journey here ends," Chris said as he handed the final pass to the gamer.

Megan let out a sigh of relief while Cody sighed in defeat. Emily stopped to hug her boyfriend on the way out and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't go farther with you Cody."

"It's alright. The votes probably just weren't in our favor," the tech geek replied.

"Hey, don't be sad. I'm sure I'll see you again soon. Just do your best, for me," Emily said with a slight smile.

Cody nodded and said, "You got it."

"All right, I've got to go now. I'll see you later," Emily said as she kissed Cody on the cheek. The dancer then walked out of the auditorium to the bus waiting outside the building. She boarded the vehicle where it then departed for the aftermath studio.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Emily: Am I mad over what happened? No, not really. I didn't expect I would win this in the long run. I suppose this is karma for the two of us making the same thing for the challenge. Regardless, I'm just happy Cody and I got together. I'll be cheering you on all the way!

* * *

Chris was still standing at his podium, ready to give the recap. He cleared his throat and said, "And after a long day of making art, it's the dancer Emily that has to leave us. How will Noah use this to his advantage? Will the others realize that Joseph tricked them in such an easy manner? Will Cody turn into a mess without his girlfriend here? Find out the answers to all these questions as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Emily – 5 (Mikey, Megan, Joseph, Bridgette, Izzy)

Mikey – 2 (Cody, Emily)

Cody – 1 (Noah)

Noah – 1 (Jennifer)

* * *

**[1]** - This story takes place in what could be best described as an alternate timeline where Chris decided to have another season between Action and World Tour. Yes, I am using the "Many Worlds Theory" to justify this story. (Don't know what the Many Worlds Theory is? Look up Game Theory on Youtube and watch the one on the Zelda timeline, that gives a much better explanation as to what I could do.)

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff, Emily

Contestants Remaining: Cody, Noah, Bridgette, Izzy, Mikey, Joseph, Jennifer, Megan (8 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

Despite her stereotype being "The Dancer" Emily did very little dancing. This was intentional and is going to be explored during parts of the rest of this story as well as the planned sequel (assuming that this gets finished soon enough. I should probably get on that). Also, when planning out this chapter, her elimination changed a couple of ways. First she was going to be eliminated without a good reason, then instant elimination, and then to the way she was eliminated.

* * *

I will be the first to admit, this chapter was a long time coming and should have been out a lot sooner. Things like school, real life stuff and other things kept me distracted, as well as a slight case of writers block. I wanted to get this done however, which is why the ending of the chapter feels a bit rushed and kind of awkward. Still, I'm out of school for the summer, so I'll have less distractions for writing. Still, we're almost there! Two-thirds of the way done with this story! And the big moments of the rest of the chapters are planned out, so it's just a matter of writing them as well as well as the casual conversations between everyone. And let me tell you, some of the challenges I have lined up are interesting. So please review, recommend this to your friends, and check out some of my other projects. Until next time!

* * *

Next time: Four more people have been eliminated, so it's time for Justin and Beth to interview them.


	19. Aftermath 4: Insert Witty Title Here

I'm back! And I've got some exciting news for this story. But that can wait until later.

Disclaimer: Total Drama and it's characters are in no way owned by me. The only things that are mine are my OC's.

* * *

The lounge-like waiting room is shown as well as the couches and snack tables that are present before every aftermath. The entire peanut gallery was seen around the room, talking to other people.

Over at one part of the room, Gwen was sitting with Leshawna, Trent and DJ.

Gwen sighed and said, "Well, my break was nice while it lasted."

"What are you talking about Gwen? We're not going anywhere any time soon," Leshawna asked, concerned for her friend.

"No, but my break from Courtney fighting with me is over," Gwen remarked.

DJ raised an eyebrow and asked, "I know she can get a little mad when she loses, but was she really that bad?"

Gwen nodded and said, "You don't know the half of it."

"It's true. Even though I left a couple days earlier, Courtney was still acting pretty hostile toward Gwen," Trent confirmed with a nod.

Gwen shook her head and said, "With any luck, she'll leave me alone if she's with Duncan."

"Somebody say my name," Duncan asked as he walked over, a can of soda in his hand.

"When Courtney gets here, keep her off my back. We fought enough on the show, we don't need to do it here when we could relax," Gwen stated.

Duncan pulled up a chair and said, "I'll try but you know her. When she gets going it's hard to stop her."

"Dude, you know the things Courtney is saying are wrong. Just let her know she's mistaken and to leave Gwen alone," DJ noted.

"I'll try, but again, she's stubborn," Duncan stated, his hands in the air.

Trent shook his head and said, "Still, her hostility toward Gwen is kind of sudden and harsh. It doesn't seem like Courtney."

Duncan nodded a little and said, "I noticed that too. I'll talk to her and see if I can find out if something's bothering her."

"And if she doesn't stop fighting with Gwen, she's gonna have to deal with me," Leshawna said, a small frown on her face.

Across the room, Jessie was sitting down with a smile on her face. Danny, who was walking to the snack table to get himself a soda, noticed this and said, "What's got you so happy?"

"Starting today, Nicholas is going to be staying here. We'll be able to spend plenty of time together. Just, please don't antagonize him or anything," Jessie said, the smile still on her face.

The honorable teen sat down and said, "Jessie, I promise I will leave him alone and drop our little feud so long as he does the same. I will not start anything in any way, you have my word."

The quiet girl smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll talk to him and ask him not to start anything either. Though I may have to say something like you'll leave him alone. You don't mind, do you?"

"I like to think that you're my friend Jessie. And I like it when my friends are happy. If saying something like that will make you and your boyfriend happy, by all means go ahead," Danny said with a nod, "Besides, with any luck he'll be over it because he beat me."

Elsewhere in the room, Rebecca, Harold and Alexander were sitting together. The slacker was relating a story about his time in Japan, something the anime nerd and dweeb had a significant interest in. "So you know how over here and in America, a lot of restaurants serve french fries with meals? Well in restaurants in Japan, almost every meal is served with rice. Not really an obscure fact, I know, but Japan has rice like North America has potatoes. Another interesting thing, and one that I enjoyed, is how much Japan embraces arcades. In Tokyo in particular, there are these five story arcades. I went into one once and it was packed. And these were huge arcades too. It's insane," Alexander said before taking a drink from a soda.

"What about anime? I've heard there are huge anime and manga stores. Is this true," Rebecca asked, bouncing slightly in her seat.

Alexander chuckled and said, "Huge doesn't even begin to describe them. There was one that I saw that had a life size robot from Gundam in front of it. And the building was taller than the sculpture!"

Rebecca's eyes went wide as she said, "I have to go to Japan now! If there's another season after this, I have to win so I can have tons of money to spend in Japan!"

"Unfortunately there is another season after this one, but the cast has already been decided. None of the new people this season are competing," Harold noted.

"What? That's total crap," Alexander cursed.

Harold shook his head and agreed, "Indeed. I would love to compete with you next season. Although, if I happen to win, I'll take you two on a trip to Japan."

"Really? Thanks," Rebecca shouted excitedly.

Alexander raised an eyebrow and asked, "I appreciate the gesture, but if you don't mind me asking, why me?"

"You've been to Japan before so you know about it. Having you with us would be beneficial," Harold explained.

As the three continued talking about Japan, the camera panned over to Justin, Owen and Tyler. "So Justin, are you excited to be hosting the Aftermath," Owen asked, taking a bite out of the piece of pizza he had.

Justin ran a hand through his hair and replied, "It'll be interesting, that's for sure. As long as Beth and I stick to the plan, it should be fine."

"Don't worry too much man. I thought hosting it was easy," Tyler assured the model.

"Oh, I'm not worried. You know, so long as nothing unexpected happens. That's a bit too much to hope for though," Justin said with a slight laugh.

Tyler smirked and said, "You said it man. Things can get hectic with us."

Owen laughed and said, "Haha, yeah that's true. Don't worry, Carl should keep things on track. Still, I can't wait for when I can host! It's gonna be awesome!"

In another part of the room sat Lindsay, Beth, Katie, Sadie and Julie. Beth smiled and said, "You know, one of the things I liked about coming on this show is all the friends I made from it."

Katie nodded and said, "Oh me too!"

"I was just about to say that," Sadie added.

Julie nodded and said, "It's been a great time. Too bad we won't see each other too much after the show ends."

"I have an idea! We can have a big slumber party at my house," Lindsay exclaimed.

"That would be so cool! Are you sure your parents would be fine with it," Beth asked.

Lindsay nodded and said, "Yeah! They always said they wanted my friends to come over more."

"OMG I love slumber parties," Sadie exclaimed.

Katie nodded and said, "Me too!"

Julie smiled and said, "That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Lindsay cheered and said, "Yay! And we'll have plenty of room because my house is like, really big. My dad has a lot of money. He told me to go on the show to make more friends."

At yet another part of the room sat William and Ezekiel. "Alright Zeke, my boy, I'm gonna teach you how to be a real teen. I won't lie to you, this isn't going to be easy. If you don't think you can handle it, tell me now because once I start, I'm not stopping," William said in a strange accent.

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you talking like that eh?"

William shrugged and replied, "I thought sounding like an older Scottish man would be appropriate for this somehow. In hindsight, it doesn't make much sense."

"Oh. Well in any case, if you're willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn eh," Ezekiel responded.

"Very good! We'll start tonight after the aftermath. You'll be like a regular teen in no time," William shouted excitedly.

Heather sat in a corner of the room, grumbling to herself. Eva, who was making another trip to the buffet saw this and smirked before saying, "Aw, is Heather sad because nobody wants to talk to someone as nasty as her?"

"Hah, like I care if any of those losers talk to me. I'm upset because I was cheated out of the game," the queen bee replied.

"Right. Didn't you make friends with Leshawna or something last season? What the hell happened to that," Eva asked.

Heather narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why do you care?"

Eva narrowed her eyes as well and said, "I actually respect Leshawna, and I was wondering what the hell was going through her head when you and her settled your differences."

"Like I know what she was thinking. All I know now is that in the time between seasons I came to my senses and realized what I was doing," Heather snootily replied.

"Whatever, have fun talking to yourself," Eva said as she walked away.

The teens talked to each other for a few minutes, waiting for their cue for the show to start. Carl the intern walked into the room and said, "Alright guys, showtime. Beth, Justin, you guys wait backstage for the announcer to introduce you. Everyone else, head out when the intro theme starts.

* * *

The camera changes perspective to show the set for the Aftermath. The long couch in the middle of the stage is present, as are the rows of seats on each side of the couch. The TV hung above the couch has the Aftermath logo on it as well. The theme to the Aftermath started to play and the various members of the peanut gallery started to fill in. To the left of the couch in the first row sat Owen, DJ, Tyler, Lindsay, Julie and Alexander. In the second row were Katie, Sadie, Trent, Eva, Harold and Danny. In the final row on the left were Gwen, Leshawna, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel and Heather. Duncan and Jessie sat by themselves in the first row on the right side of the couch.

The unknown announcer said, "Welcome to another episode of the Total Drama High School Aftermath! Please give a warm welcome to your hosts today, Justin and Beth!"

The two hosts walked out to tons of applause, though most of it came from the tons of squealing fangirls over Justin being host. The two sat down on the couch as they waved to the audience.

"Hello everyone, I'm Justin," the model said.

"And I'm Beth. Welcome to the Total Drama High School Aftermath," Beth finished.

"Justin! Take off your shirt," a random fangirl called out from the audience.

Justin didn't seem fazed by this exclamation and merely shrugged before saying, "Maybe when the show ends, because we've got four guests to talk to today, as well as some of the usual segments you're used to seeing from the show."

Beth nodded and said, "That's right! But before we get to the guests, let's give a recap since the last aftermath! There were four challenges based on Prom, Physical Education, Music and Art."

"Joseph has continued his plotting to win the game, though he's run into his fair share of obstacles. And Noah on the other hand has been working on a plan to get rid of Joseph. Jennifer has finally gotten over Trent's elimination, and just in time as a couple of the others have had their boyfriend or girlfriend eliminated and are in a similar state as Jennifer was," Justin recapped.

"Let's get this show on the road! Our first guest was part of Joseph's alliance, is Duncan's girlfriend and got into Total Drama Action due to a lawsuit. Give a warm welcome to Courtney," Beth stated as the CIT made her way onstage to a mix of cheers and boos.

Courtney waved to the audience as she made her way to the couch. "Hello Beth, Justin, it's great to be here," Courtney said, "I'll answer any questions you have for me, so ask away."

Justin looked at a notecard and said, "Let's get the obvious one out of the way. What did you think about your time in the game?"

"Admittedly, it wasn't my best season. I don't know why it took me so long to realize something was up with Joseph. I regret going along with some of the eliminations. If I could go back and redo everything, I wouldn't have joined that alliance in the first place. Hopefully next season I can redeem myself for some of the choices I made this season," Courtney replied with a sigh.

"What about the things that happened aside from Joseph and his alliance," Beth asked.

Courtney smiled and said, "Well, aside from Joseph I liked this season. It felt nice to be able to exercise my mind in challenges aside from having them all be physical. For the most part, I liked the new contestants. And with an exception or two, I was pleased with those of us who returned to the competition."

Justin flashed a smile and said, "Well that transitions to our next question nicely. What was up with your extreme attitude toward Gwen?"

"I figured this would be asked at some point," Courtney grumbled before she sighed and said, "As I've said before, I can't shake the feeling that she'll steal Duncan away from me."

"And how many times have I said I'm not going to do that," Gwen shouted from her seat in the peanut gallery.

Courtney waved Gwen off and said, "Oh please, you're probably lonely after breaking up with Trent and are looking for a new boyfriend. Besides, I saw how you acted toward him during TDA. Why wouldn't I be suspicious?"

Gwen grumbled and said, "Be suspicious all you want, it's not going to change the fact that I won't steal him from you."

From where he was sitting, Duncan asked, "Seriously Courtney, what's up with all the anger at Gwen? And not any of that 'she's going to steal me' bullcrap. I want the real answer."

All the attention was directed at Courtney who was silent for a moment before she sighed in defeat and with a blush on her face said, "Okay fine. I care about you a lot Duncan and I don't want to lose you. You're one of the best things to happen to me and if I lost you, I don't know what I would do. Happy?"

Most of the audience let out cries of "Aww" as Courtney's blush deepened. Duncan smirked and said, "I knew it."

Beth was smiling after the revelation of Courtney's true feelings for Duncan and said, "We only have one more question, then we can leave you alone."

"Oh thank goodness. Well ask away then," Courtney replied, her face beginning to return to its regular hue.

Beth nodded and pointed to the TV above them and asked, "Care to explain what you meant in this confessional?" The clip in question then started.

* * *

Courtney: I want to help Danny before he goes too far. I know what he's going through. I've done things I'm not really proud of, mostly due to what he did to me. (She sighs and looks down for a few seconds before she looks back up) Let's just say that I may have influenced who made it in this season.

* * *

"Oh that. I didn't think that would be brought up. Well, I promised I would answer so I would," Courtney said before taking a deep breath and saying, "As I'm sure many of you noted, Harold would have been one of the first picks for a season at a high school like this, right? Yet he wasn't chosen. That would be my fault. One of the clauses in the lawsuit I filed to get onto TDA stated that at I was to be on a season without Harold. Thereby if I were to be eliminated it wouldn't be due to an incident like when he switched the votes on me during TDI. Was it right? No, I suppose it wasn't. When I requested that I still felt cheated however and felt it was fair. So if you are upset by not being on this season Harold, I apologize."

"I'm not too mad. I mean, I did kind of cheat to get rid of you, so I guess this is karma for me. Besides, there's way too much drama going on this season for my tastes. It reminds me of being around my sister," Harold replied from where he was sitting.

Beth looked to Courtney and said, "That's all the questions we have for you. Would you please move to the peanut gallery?" Courtney nodded and moved to sit next to Duncan.

Justin smiled at the camera before saying, "Our next guest got a girlfriend, had a rivalry with Danny and lost due to an instant elimination, it's Nicholas!"

The mechanic walked onstage to a somewhat moderate amount of cheering. He sat down on the couch and Beth said, "Thanks for being here Nicholas."

"Thanks for having me," Nicholas replied.

"So what did you think of your time on the show," Beth asked.

Nicholas tapped his chin and said, "Well, it was pretty fun. I mean, the challenges were exciting for the most part. And I got a girlfriend too, so that's a plus. Yeah, it kind of sucked being eliminated, but since it was an instant elimination it's not so bad."

Justin nodded and said, "Speaking of your girlfriend, want to tell us why you went out with her?"

"What's not to like? She's cute, caring and she likes me for who I am, which is more than I can say for the girlfriends I had before this show," Nicholas replied with a smile directed to his girlfriend.

Jessie giggled a bit from her seat as the audience said "Aww" again. Beth giggled and said, "That's so romantic!"

"I try," Nicholas replied with a grin.

"Our final question is a little more serious. What was up with your rivalry with Danny," Beth asked once she got over her giggle fit.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and said, "What's hard to understand about it? He kept getting in my way and I didn't like it."

From where he was sitting, Danny interrupted, "If I may, where I come from honor is more important than anything. All I was doing was trying to preserve that. I'm aware I've said this multiple times on the show, but you don't seem to get it. All I want is to keep dishonesty from the game in any form, be it trying to stamp out alliances or keeping people from having too many unfair advantages."

Nicholas nodded and said, "I see what you're saying and I understand. But where I come from, you do whatever it takes to succeed. If someone intentionally keeps you from doing so, how do you know you can trust them? It's one thing if you were on a different team and messed with me, but handicapping your own team? I don't know about the others, but I don't approve of it."

"A valid point. Unfortunately it seems our views will continue to conflict in any future seasons, since I doubt either of us will change," Danny said with a nod.

"Fair enough. Having a friendly rival is more than a lot of people can say. I look forward to competing against you," Nicholas said with a smirk.

Danny smirked back and replied, "Likewise."

Justin raised an eyebrow and asked, "If you wouldn't mind, could you move to the peanut gallery?"

Nicholas grinned and said, "Of course. I've been looking forward to spending time with my girlfriend anyways." The mechanic moved to a seat next to his girlfriend.

Beth looked to the camera and said, "Before we introduce our next guest, it's time for That's Going to Leave a Mark!" The screen above the couch lit up with the scenes of the contestants in pain.

* * *

Scene 1: Noah is being swung around the dance floor by Izzy during the prom challenge. Izzy accidentally lets go of Noah's arms and the know it all flies across the gymnasium.

Scene 2: Izzy is blown back by the force of her paint bomb from the art challenge.

Scene 3: After finishing the race from the second gym challenge, Emily and Cody accidentally step on an extra landmine and it knocks them off their feet.

Scene 4: Joseph is waiting backstage during the music challenge and an extra light that wasn't used falls and lands on his foot.

* * *

"Glad that wasn't me," Justin remarked from his seat on the couch, "I don't think my modeling contracts would be happy with me injuring myself."

"That would be a shame if you injured yourself," Beth mentioned with a dreamy stare before shaking her head and saying, "Moving on, our next guest was in the final 6 of Total Drama Island, was a former aftermath host, and is one of the most relaxed people ever, it's Geoff!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and Geoff ran onstage, pumping his fists. The party boy shouted out, "What's up dudes! It's good to be back!"

Justin exchanged a fist bump with the party boy and remarked, "This is a bit different, isn't it? Usually you're the one interviewing the losers, not the other way around."

"Yeah man, this is weird for me," Geoff agreed with a nod.

"So what did you think of your time on the show," Justin asked before taking a sip of water.

Geoff pumped his arms in the air and said, "It was totally awesome dudes! I got to spend a ton of time with my girl, there were some rocking challenges and overall the new guys and gals are pretty cool. Plus I made it more than halfway through the competition. Way better than last season dude."

Beth nodded and said, "I see. What did you think about the alliance Joseph made with Noah and Courtney?"

"Whoa, they made an alliance? I know Noah hung out with Joseph a lot, but I didn't think it was an alliance. Well hopefully the others get to figure that out before it's too late," Geoff commented.

"What if I told you that Noah has recently been trying to plan against Joseph, since he regrets working with him," Beth followed up.

Geoff scratched his head under his hat in thought and said, "Well, I hope he's got a good plan. I know I didn't really talk to him much, but Joseph's like, insanely smart dudes."

Justin nodded and said, "That he is. But moving on to our final question. How do you feel knowing that Bridgette is going to be on next season and you won't?"

"That's gonna suck dude. I'm gonna miss her and she's gonna miss me. I just hope the way she plays isn't going to suffer because of it. Though she has friends that are going to be there so maybe it won't be so bad for her. I just hope she tries her best," Geoff responded honestly.

Beth smiled and said, "That's so sweet of you to say. Well, that's all we had for you today. Would you please go sit in the peanut gallery?"

Geoff nodded and said, "Not a problem dudette." The party guy got up and sat down on the bottom row of the seats to the right.

Justin gestured backstage and said, "Now we've got our last guest. She's in a relationship with Cody, is the shortest contestant yet and was voted off due to Joseph's manipulations, it's Emily!"

The dancer made her way onstage to a fair amount of applause. She sat down on the couch and Beth asked, "So, what did you think of your time on the show?"

"It was great! I got to meet most of the people I was rooting for during season one and two, there were tons of fun challenges and best of all, and I'm going out with Cody! Sure, winning the money would have been nice, but I think I'm walking away with enough to be satisfied," Emily said with a happy smile on her face.

"That's a good way to think about it," Justin noted before having a sip of water and continuing, "Now you're a dancer right? How come we didn't see much of that during the show?"

Emily sighed and said, "Well, a lot of it had to do with the challenges. I didn't have a lot of time to show off my dancing because a lot of the challenges weren't appropriate. Another thing is despite dancing in the audition tape, I'm not dancing as much as I used to. My life's getting more hectic and I have less time to dance, which is a shame. And I have a feeling that once I get to college, unless there's a dance team or something, I'm not going to be dancing. I really hope that's not the case, as I love dancing, but there are some things that just can't be helped."

"Well, what about now? Would you mind performing a short dance for us," Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, can I get some music to play with it," Emily asked.

The person controlling the audio started to play an upbeat song with a fast tempo. Emily got up and started to dance along with the beat. The dancer performed a number of spins with the occasional flip mixed in. The song soon ended and Emily finished her dance with a split, the audience exploding into applause as a result of the performance.

Emily wiped some sweat off of her forehead as Beth passed her a bottle of water and said, "That was amazing!"

Emily took a sip of water and replied, "Thanks. It felt good to be dance for once."

Beth waited until the dancer was done having her drink and asked, "So for our final question, why do you like Cody?"

"Well, I've always had a thing for geeky guys I guess. And he's really nice, handsome and he's a true friend. Probably the one thing that caused him to become my favorite was when on the island he helped get Trent and Gwen together, despite liking Gwen. Just seeing that made me realize I kind of had a crush on him. I never expected that I would make it on this show and that he would ask me out however," Emily explained with a smile on her face.

Suddenly someone shouted from backstage, "You bitch!"

"Hey what are you-," Someone had begun to say before they were cut off and shouted in surprise.

A tanned girl wearing a yellow tank top and green pants with her purple hair in a long ponytail ran full speed onto the stage and tackled Emily, sending the two girls to the floor. "How dare you steal my Cody from me! He and I were going to be together forever! But now we're not, and it's all your fault," the new arrival screamed while pinning Emily to the floor, trying to injure the short dancer.

Emily was struggling to get the taller girl off of her and shrieked, "Somebody, anybody, help!"

Geoff, Leshawna and Nicholas all got off the couches they were on to assist Emily but the other girl was fighting back. Nicholas backed up and said, "Guys, get out of the way."

Geoff and Leshawna looked to each other and shrugged, moving away as Nicholas charged at Emily's assailant. The mechanic tackled the girl and knocked her off of Emily, who quickly got up and stood next to Geoff and Leshawna.

Much of the audience looked amazed and Beth said, "Whoa, that was incredible."

"It wasn't that cool. I'm just in shape because my high school had an American football team and I was on it," Nicholas casually remarked.

"There she is! Thanks for your help Carl," Alejandro said as he walked onstage with Carl the intern. The two went over to where Nicholas and the girl were and proceeded to take the girl.

Carl looked at her and said, "Look Sierra, I don't care what grudge or whatever you have with the contestants. The contract you signed stated that you couldn't interact with them until the next season began. If you pull a stunt like this again, I'm sure the executive producer would have no trouble finding someone to replace you."

"Fine, I'll leave. But before I do, I just want to say one thing. You had better watch your back Emily. I will have Cody, one way or another," Sierra said before getting escorted off stage by Carl.

Alejandro looked at everyone present and said, "Sorry about that," before quickly hurrying offstage.

Justin and Beth looked to be at a loss for words before Justin said, "Um, that's all the questions we had for you."

Beth nodded and added, "Normally we would have turned things over to the peanut gallery to see what they think about everything that's happening, but we're just about out of time."

Justin continued, "So be sure to sure to tune in to the next episode of Total Drama High School, where there will be more romance, more exciting challenges and above all, more drama!"

"The next aftermath will be hosted by Duncan and Owen! Thanks for watching! I'm Beth," Beth exclaimed.

"And I'm Justin. Goodnight," the model finished.

"And cut," the cameraman said as the stage lights dimmed and everyone exited the stage.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I'm back! This chapter should have been up much sooner, but I had so much stuff going on during the summer than things just didn't work out for me getting a lot of writing done. But that's beside the point. What is the point? Just that I'm putting all my other fanfics aside to commit as much time as possible to this story. That big announcement I mentioned earlier? I plan on writing a bunch of chapters for this story in quick (by my standards) succession. Ideally, I'll get a chapter up every month from now until December or so. Then I'll take a break for Christmas and New Years. Once I go back to school for my spring semester, I'll be back to writing, again hopefully having a chapter up every month. I won't promise that I will get the chapters up on time, but I can sure as hell try to.

Now for some stuff that's actually important-ish to the story. Sierra has finally made her first appearance, and once I eventually start work on the sequel to this, she'll have a semi-major plotline. If you couldn't tell, she'll have a major rivalry with Emily. And in future appearances, Courtney will be much less hostile to Gwen. She still won't completely trust her, but she won't be as harsh toward her. As for Danny and Nicholas, they still have their rivalry, but they'll be more of a friendly one.

Well that just about wraps up everything for this chapter. Hopefully I'll be back here next month with another chapter for you all. Until next time!

* * *

Next Time!: Apparently Chris ran out of classes to make challenges out of, as the next challenge is based off of a type of school club. It'll be interesting, that's for sure.


	20. Chapter 16: Card Games On Total Drama!

Yeah, I'm back! And it only took 6 months...uh, oops?

Disclaimer: With the sole exception of my Original Characters and the Location, nothing in this story is in any way owned by me.

* * *

Chris, as usual, was standing in front of the high school. He was shuffling a deck of cards for a moment before the cameraman pointed at him. He put the cards away and raised his arms, saying, "Last time on Total Drama High School! The final nine were tasked with creating an art project that was going to be judged by a mystery judge. Some people managed to do well, like Megan and Joseph, who had a natural talent with art. Others, like Cody, Emily, Noah and Mikey didn't have as much of a talent in art. Bridgette was still struggling with Geoff's elimination the day before but Jennifer managed to help the surfer girl from going down the same path she went down. In the end Megan won invincibility and Emily was sent home, much to Cody's dismay. So what's in store for the contestants today? Will it be something they expect? Probably not. And most importantly, who's getting the boot today? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

It was the morning after Emily's elimination and it was clear that Cody wasn't taking it very well. However, instead of crying like how Bridgette had the day before, he simply stared out the window of the bus, a scowl seemingly permanently plastered on his face. Upon first seeing the tech geek that morning, nobody dared to talk to him, instead deciding to give him some space.

As the bus was on its way to the school, it was Mikey who decided to try and talk to Cody first that morning. The gamer sat in the seat across the aisle from Cody and thought about what he was going to say for a moment before saying, "Cody, listen, about yesterday-."

"Save it. I don't want to talk about it," Cody interrupted, not bothering to look away from the window.

Mikey waited a moment before trying again, "Look, I just wanted to-."

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it," Cody interrupted again, turning away from the window to look at Mikey. The look in the tech geek's eyes was one of anger, and the gamer was smart enough to stop before he made things worse than they already were. Mikey simply sighed before he got up and walked to the back of the bus where his girlfriend was sitting. Cody merely watched him for a moment before turning back to look out the window.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Cody: Yeah, you could say I'm upset. Emily was eliminated yesterday for no good reason. The way I see it, it's almost like I was betrayed by my friends. When all is said and done, I'll forgive them. But for the time being, I can't help but be angry.

* * *

Mikey sat down next to his girlfriend who asked, "So I'm guessing it didn't work?"

Mikey shook his head and replied, "He doesn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to tell him I'm sorry that Emily was eliminated but he doesn't want to hear any of it. Can't say I blame him for being upset though. If it were me in his situation, I would be upset too."

Megan turned to the gamer and asked, "Can you promise me something?"

"Depends. What do you want me to do," Mikey replied with a question of his own.

Megan frowned ever so slightly and asked, "If I get eliminated, please try not to end up angry at everyone like Cody."

The gamer smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about that because you're not going to be eliminated."

"Even so, in the off chance something happens, please promise me," the nice girl asked.

Mikey sighed in defeat as he replied, "Alright, I'll do my best to not be upset if you get eliminated."

Megan smiled as she wrapped her arms around Mikey's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, saying, "Thank you."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Mikey: I was completely serious when I said Megan's not going to be eliminated. Yesterday, after Emily was eliminated and we got back to the hotel, I talked to Bridgette and Jennifer, and we all agreed to vote together the next couple of eliminations. I wanted to get Cody in on it too, but he doesn't want to talk to me. And I've got a secret backup plan should the voting block not work out.

* * *

Joseph and Noah were not sitting together for a change, as they wanted to distance themselves from each other after the previous day's elimination. Joseph, being the more social of the two, was sitting near Bridgette and Jennifer, observing Cody from afar as the two girls talked. Jennifer noticed Joseph looking in Cody's direction and commented, "It's been a sad past couple of eliminations. First with Geoff and now Emily. I'm worried that Mikey and Megan are going to be split up next."

"If that happens, I imagine it will be hard for whoever stays behind, much like I imagine it's hard for Cody to be here right now," Joseph noted.

Bridgette sighed and said, "And I'm not over Geoff leaving either. I'm doing a lot better than yesterday, but I'm not back to normal yet."

"And that's perfectly fine. To show you still miss him means that you care deeply about him," Joseph pointed out with a slight smile.

Jennifer quirked an eyebrow with regards to Joseph's comment and asked, "Forgive me if you've been asked this before, but have you ever considered psychology? You seem to understand how the mind works."

"I've noticed that too, you seem to know how people work. Why is that," Bridgette added.

Joseph shrugged and said, "The way the human mind works is very fascinating and since I'm an overachiever, I want to understand it as much as possible. I'll probably never know everything about how the mind works like how I'll never know everything about all the things I find interesting, but I strive to learn as much as I can."

"That's very ambitious of you," Jennifer noted.

"Maybe it is, but maybe it isn't," Joseph replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Bridgette spoke up, "Still, it's good to have a goal to achieve."

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: I like Jennifer and Bridgette. Not romantically, but I like who they are. They're good people, I can tell. Admittedly I feel bad for being behind the eliminations of their boyfriends. But the only way I stand a chance of winning this game is by doing whatever it takes to win.

* * *

Noah was sitting by himself and appeared to be reading a novel, but in actuality he was lost in thought. 'My plan is coming together just as I expected it would. There's only one step remaining before we can be rid of Joseph. I am worried though that a million things could go wrong and ruin this plan at the last minute,' Noah thought as he was blankly staring at the pages of his novel.

"Hey Noah! What are you doing," Izzy exclaimed as she popped up from the seat behind Noah.

Noah didn't even flinch as he replied, "I'm trying to read."

Izzy tilted her head to the left and said, "But you've been on that page for the past 5 minutes."

"Have you been looking over my shoulder this whole time," Noah replied as he turned around.

The crazy girl nodded quickly before adding, "But still, why were you on that page for so long?"

Noah turned back around and said, "I was thinking. And before you ask, no, I won't tell you what I was thinking about."

Izzy pouted for a moment before she turned away and said, "I get the feeling you don't want me around."

"No, I love not being able to have a moment to myself. By all means, please continue looking over my shoulder," Noah replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Okay," Izzy shouted as she turned her attention back to where Noah was. The know-it-all simply facepalmed as he tried to ignore the person behind him.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Noah: I really don't get why Izzy hangs around me so much. I never really knew her when I was on the Island and we never really interacted after she was eliminated either. Hell, the only reason I teamed up with her in that bonus challenge after Owen won was because she knew the layout of the island and I had planned on using that to my advantage.

* * *

The bus pulled up to the school and Chris was standing outside currently on the phone. "Yeah, the challenge is all set up. How many times? And how much are we getting again? All right, this can work. Let me know when the next deal goes through," Chris said while ending his call.

"Were we interrupting something," Noah asked with an eyebrow raised.

Chris shook his head and replied, "Not at all. Just making sure the challenge today is all set."

Jennifer raised her hand and asked, "What is our challenge today?"

"Everything will be explained in due time. Now, follow me to one of the computer labs this school has," Chris instructed as he led the contestants to their destination.

Mikey raised an eyebrow and asked, "Computers? So what, this is going to be a programming challenge?"

"Nope! Today's challenge is a little different as it's based on a type of extracurricular activity that a lot of schools have instead of a school subject. And before you ask, no, it's not a video game tournament," the host explained.

"Thought hadn't crossed my mind," Mikey retorted with a slight sarcastic tone.

Chris deadpanned, "Somehow I doubt that. No, today's challenge will be a tournament of sorts, but instead of playing a sport or videogame, you're going to be playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game created by Konami!"

"You're kidding obviously. Now what's the real challenge," Joseph seriously asked.

"Dude, that is the real challenge. Konami is paying some serious cash to sponsor today's challenge, and if things go well, there could be more sponsored challenges in the future," Chris replied as he stopped outside of a room.

Bridgette was the next to speak up, "What if we don't know how to play?"

Chris jerked his thumb over his shoulder and noted, "Once I'm done explaining the challenge, you'll have an hour to use the computers in there to build a deck to use and learn the rules if you have to. Konami generously supplied us with a program that can not only run tutorials if you need them, but also to build your deck with any cards released to date. The program will stop you from using cards that are banned in competitive play. Otherwise, every card is fair game. After the hour has passed, I will randomly put you all into a single elimination tournament, where the winner will receive immunity. Are there any other questions?" Several hands shot up and Chris laughed before saying, "All right then, the challenge starts now!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Okay, so I played this game a few years ago. Sure, they've probably added new strategies and stuff, but I have a feeling the deck I used before will still work now. Now I just have to see if I can remember the cards I used.

Jennifer: I don't have a good feeling about this challenge at all. I never played this game when I was younger and I have no idea what's good and what isn't. Maybe I'll ask one of the others for help.

* * *

Mikey and Megan were in one corner of the room at two of the computers. "Okay, first thing's first, do you know how to play this game," Mikey asked, prepared to quickly explain the rules if he needed to.

Megan nodded and said, "Vaguely. One of my brothers used to play this and he would sometimes ask me to help him test out a new deck."

Mikey sighed in relief, "Well that's one less thing I have to worry about then. Now for the important question: Do you know what type of deck you want to use?"

"Not a clue," Megan promptly replied.

The gamer tapped his chin in thought before suggesting, "Well, I know a few types of themes that would work. They're not completely up to date, but something tells me none of the other decks will be up to date either."

Megan nodded, "All right. Wait, why will none of the other decks be up to date?"

"Well, I can't promise that they won't. But since it seems like nobody has played this game in a few years like me, new cards probably won't show up," Mikey explained.

"Okay. So what's this deck you're going to help me use? And what are you going to use," the nice girl asked.

The gamer opened the program on one of the computers and said, "I'm going to use a deck based around a set of monsters called Elemental Heroes. They're basically superheroes. Individually, they aren't the best, but combined they can be really strong. As for you, I was going to build you a Crystal Beast deck. It basically involves a set of 7 monsters that allow you to summon a really strong one if you get all 7 of the monsters on the field at some point."

Megan hugged her boyfriend and said, "That sounds great. Thanks for helping me with this. I don't know what I would do without your help."

"It's the least I could do," Mikey responded with a smile.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: What Mikey's doing for me during this challenge is really touching. I know if I were on my own, I wouldn't do that great. I feel like I'll have to make it up to him somehow, I just don't know how.

* * *

Cody sat by himself in a corner of the room. He was navigating the program quickly, manipulating the menus to build his deck. As he looked over the cards, he mumbled, "I'll make them pay for eliminating Emily. I'll overpower whatever they try to throw at me. This deck worked for a character on the show way back when, so it should still work now." The tech geek looked around the room and thought for a moment, 'Is this really what Emily would want? I know she wanted me to try my hardest, and I will. Whatever it takes, I'll avenge her.'

* * *

Like Cody, Noah was quickly building his deck using the program. "I'm glad I used to play this game growing up. Never thought I would say that," Noah said to nobody in particular.

"Um Noah? Can I ask you something," Came a feminine voice from behind the know-it-all.

Noah turned around and saw Jennifer standing there. "You can ask me something, but I can't guarantee I'll have an answer," Noah replied as he partially turned back to his computer.

Jennifer rubbed the back of her neck and asked, "Can you teach me how to play this game?"

The know-it-all raised an eyebrow and asked, "Didn't Chris say the program had tutorials? And why did you ask me over someone like Joseph?"

"Joseph is already teaching Izzy and Bridgette how to play; I didn't want to take up too much of his time. Besides, you look like you know what you're doing. Can you please help me? I really don't know anything," the performing artist replied.

Noah thought it over for a moment before he sighed in defeat, "Fine. Pull up a seat."

Jennifer grabbed a nearby chair and moved it close to Noah, asking as she did so, "So how do I play this game exactly?"

"Before I do anything, do you have any idea what type of cards you want to use? And by that I mean there are many different 'themes' that cards have, like magicians, dragons, and so on. I only ask because some themes don't rely on the more complicated rules and I would like to avoid having to explain more than I have to," Noah replied with a question of his own.

"Oh um, I don't know. Maybe something with animals," Jennifer hesitantly replied, caught off guard from the question.

Noah muttered under his breath, "So a beast type deck maybe?"

The performing artist tilted her head to the side and asked, "What was that?"

"Not important. Anyways, I said I would teach you the rules. I hope you're ready." Jennifer nodded and paid rapt attention to the rules Noah went over.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: I could tell Noah wasn't too thrilled about helping me out at first. The fact that he did help me even though he didn't want to is something that I have to be impressed by. Maybe under that sarcastic, cynical attitude he's a nice guy.

* * *

Joseph was sitting at his own computer, Izzy and Bridgette on either side of him. "Okay, so you each have a decent theme going for your deck and I've told you all you need to know about creating a balanced deck. Anything else you ladies would like to know," Joseph asked as he was clicking through menus.

Izzy shook her head rapidly and asked, "Is this card any good? It looks strong."

Raising an eyebrow, the overachiever looked over at Izzy's screen to see the card in question. After reading through the text on the card, he replied, "It's viable yes. You might want to make sure you can summon it since it needs a certain card to summon it however. You also might want to make sure you have a backup plan in case in can't summon it."

Izzy grinned and said, "Sweet! Super Fire Monster, here I come!"

"I seriously wonder about that girl," Joseph muttered almost inaudibly under his breath.

Bridgette turned her head and asked, "What was that?"

The overachiever smiled and said, "Nothing of importance, I assure you. Now, is there anything you would like my help with?"

"No, I'm good I think. Thanks again for your help Joseph. I figured people would be less likely to work with others the closer to the end we got, but maybe I was wrong," the surfer replied.

Joseph shrugged and replied, "Eh. Maybe if some of the meaner contestants were around. But I would like to think we're all relatively nice."

Bridgette slightly tilted her head and asked, "Even Noah?"

"He may seem mean when he's sarcastic and cynical, but once you get to know him, you find out he's nicer on the inside. I think the only reason he's so negative is because he's disgusted at the world as a whole or something. But seriously, he's nicer when you get to know him," Joseph said with a nod.

Bridgette glanced over to where Noah was sitting and hesitantly said, "If you say so."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: Is Noah really nicer once you get to know him? I mean, I never really talked to him but he always seemed to be antisocial. But maybe he's just shy or something and other people have to start a conversation. Or maybe since he and Joseph are so similar, he just opened up to him. I kind of feel bad that I've never really talked to him before.

* * *

The entire hour Chris had allowed the teens to create their decks was almost expired, and Chris was in his office, talking with potential sponsors to pass the time. "Yeah, we would love to sponsor you. We have been needing to try out that new tech, so that might work. If you could email the data or something, that would be perfect. All right, I look forward to it," Chris said as he ended the call.

Chef, who was sitting in a nearby chair, asked, "What was that about?"

Chris turned to his co-host and said, "Turns out I just bagged another sponsored challenge. It'll let us test out that machine we've been wanting to use."

"You sure that thing'll be safe? It's not like it's been around forever," Chef replied, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"The company that made it did all the testing they needed to before sending it to us. Unless you want to test it first," Chris stated.

Chef, remembering all the safety testing for challenges he did in seasons past, quickly shook his head and said, "Hell no man. I might be desperate for cash, but I'm not stupid."

Chris grabbed an envelope off his desk and passed to Chef, saying, "Speaking of which, due to those sponsored challenges, we got some more cash in the budget. So here's some of your missing paychecks, plus a little extra compensation for having to wait so long."

"You mean it Chris? I'm finally getting paid? You know, you aren't so bad," Chef said, a legitimate smile on his face.

Chris grinned and turned his chair around, saying, "It's no fun tormenting these kids alone. Anyways, their time is about up. Want to go watch the second half of the challenge?"

Chef shook his head and replied, "Nah, I'll pass. But before you go, what was the company that made that machine?"

"The new one? I don't know. Some Japanese company," Chris said with a shrug as he walked out of the office.

* * *

Chris opened the door to the computer lab and said, "Alright, stop editing your decks! The second part of the challenge is about to begin! In case you forgot, the second part of the challenge is a single-elimination tournament, with the winner receiving immunity. I've already drawn up the tournament bracket, so when I announce your opponent, use the program's matchmaking system to challenge them to a battle! With that, the matchups for the first match are:"

"Joseph and Jennifer!" The two rookies glanced at each other, Jennifer with a playful grin on her face and a determined one on Joseph's.

"Izzy and Mikey!" Izzy clapped happily while unbeknownst to her, Mikey's eyes narrowed.

"Bridgette and Megan!" The two girls simply smiled at each other.

"And Noah and Cody!" Noah shrugged while Cody merely looked upset. Numerous clicks could be heard as each person initiated their first Duel.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Izzy huh? I've always wanted to strike back at that crazy girl, not physically mind you, and this seems to be my chance. Hopefully her deck isn't too strong.

Cody: Noah? He'll fall quickly. I have no idea if he voted for Emily, but I'll take him down all the same.

Bridgette: I know I'm not great at this challenge and I don't know if Megan is either. I think we won't let the competition get between us here.

Jennifer: I think Noah adequately prepared me for this. I don't know how good Joseph's deck is but I shouldn't do too badly, right?

* * *

Chris looked at the eight at their computers as he said, "The first round begins now!" Turning to face the camera, Chris said, "Now we could show you every move of every match, but that would get boring real quick. So instead we'll show you some of the best moments of each of the matches!"

* * *

Joseph carefully looked over his options. Due to a Swords of Revealing Light spell that prevented him from attacking, Jennifer had built up a defense of 4 face down monsters. Glancing at the card he just drew, he smirked to himself and said, "No offense Jennifer, but I believe I just won this game."

Jennifer looked at her screen in confusion as Joseph summoned a weak Red Eyes Black Chick monster. "You sure about that? That monster doesn't look very strong," the performing artist questioned.

"Just you wait and see," Joseph said as he continued his move, banishing the monster to summon a much more powerful monster, the Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.

"Okay, that's a pretty strong monster," Jennifer said as she looked at the new monster summoned.

Joseph smiled and said, "And I'm not done yet. You see, I can summon any dragon from my hand or graveyard with my red eyes' effect. So I'll use it to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon in my hand. And I'll destroy two of your monsters before I end my turn."

The performing artist drew a card and said, "Okay, I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon my Beast King Barbaros. He'll attack your Red Eyes and destroy it. And that's the end of my turn."

Drawing a card, Joseph looked at his hand and replied, "All right, first thing's first, I'll activate my Dragon's mirror, banishing 5 dragons from my graveyard to summon my Five-Headed Dragon. Then my Blue Eyes will attack your Barbaros, destroying them both. And my Five-Headed Dragon will attack you directly for the win."

"Wow. You're really good Joseph," Jennifer commented as the program automatically logged Jennifer out.

"Thanks. I used to play this when I was younger and I always used dragons then. I figured a couple of tweaks would make it better now," the overachiever replied before continuing, "But don't sell yourself short. For someone who I assume has never played this game before, you did well."

The performing artist giggled, "Thanks, but if it weren't for Noah, I probably wouldn't even have a deck to play with."

Joseph raised an eyebrow at this and said, "Interesting."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: So Noah helped Jennifer? Hmm, I wonder if he feels like he's at risk of elimination due to not having a lot of friends and is trying to branch out to give himself a safety net. Or maybe he was just feeling nice. Either way, not really concerning.

* * *

Mikey was a little nervous in his duel. On his side he had a monster called Elemental Hero Flame Wingman and a face down card, while Izzy had a monster called Volcanic Rocket and a spell called Tri-Blaze Accelerator on the field. Mikey glanced at his hand and said, "Alright, I'll play this card facedown and end my turn."

Drawing a card, Izzy grinned and said, "I'll send my Tri-Blaze Accelerator to the graveyard to summon my Volcanic Doomfire!"

"This isn't good," Mikey muttered as he glanced at the stats of Izzy's new monster.

"Doomfire! Attack Mikey's Flame Wingman," Izzy cackled.

"Not so fast, I activate my Hero Barrier. Since I have an Elemental Hero, I can negate your attack this turn," Mikey said, activating his trap.

Izzy shrugged and said, "A minor setback. Your turn."

"I play one card facedown and switch my Flame Wingman to defense mode," Mikey said before ending his turn.

Izzy grinned and exclaimed, "All right! Now attack his Flame Wingman!"

"I activate another trap! This time it's my Elemental Absorber. By banishing my Elemental Hero Burstinatrix from my hand, I can prevent any fire attribute monsters you have from attacking, as long as this card remains on the field," the gamer retaliated, activating his card.

"Well shoot. All right, guess I end my turn," Izzy said, snapping her finger.

Mikey drew a card and said, "I'll activate Pot of greed, letting me draw 2 cards. And then I'll activate Polymerization, letting me fuse my Flame Wingman and the Sparkman in my hand to create Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman! And he gains 300 attack for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard. Since I have 10, he gains 3000 attack points. Attack her Doomfire and end this!"

The program ended the duel with a victory in Mikey's favor and Izzy got locked out of the program. "That was fun! Good game Mikey," Izzy said with a cheer.

"You're not upset that you lost," Mikey quizzically asked.

Izzy shook her head and said, "Nope!" The crazy girl walked away from the computers as Mikey had his eyebrow raised in confusion.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I don't get it. We're at the point where we should be trying to win as hard as possible and yet she shrugs off a loss like it doesn't matter. Does she really not know how close we are to winning and one mistake could be the end of it? Regardless, I like this challenge. It's bringing me back to my childhood.

* * *

Over in Bridgette and Megan's match, the field was about even. Megan had several spell and trap cards, including 2 crystal beasts, as well as 2 crystal beast monsters. Bridgette had a field spell that benefitted water monsters, as well as a pair of monsters face down. Megan drew a card and said, "Okay, lets see if I understand this. I summon my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth and because I have seven different crystal beasts on the field and in the graveyard, I can special summon my Rainbow Dragon."

As the new monster took the field, Bridgette saw its stats and said, "Wow. I don't think I can beat that."

"I'm impressed I was able to summon it. Mikey helped me make a really good deck," Megan noted before saying, "I'm going to attack with all of my monsters by the way."

"I would ask who's attacking what, but even if your two weakest monsters attack me, I lose. Good job on the win, though it was probably easy for you. I'm not that good at this game," Bridgette admitted.

Megan smiled and said, "Come on, you did fine. I haven't played this game much either. It's mostly luck that I won."

Bridgette managed to smile slightly and replied, "Thanks."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Bridgette: I appreciate Megan trying to make me feel better. To be honest I'm still sad that Geoff was eliminated a few days ago, despite my friends trying to help me. Maybe that's why I didn't give this challenge my all.

* * *

Noah and Cody were nearing the end of an epic battle. Each person had a couple dozen cards in their graveyards, though Cody had considerably more monsters than spells or traps. On Noah's side of the field stood a Sorcerer of Dark Magic monster. As for Cody, he had a face down defense monster.

"I'll attack your monster with my sorcerer," Noah noted and as he ended his turn, he said, "You might as well give up Cody. Traps are useless against my monster and you can't summon anything stronger since I'll keep killing your monsters."

"You would say that. You just want me to roll over and give up. Think I'm powerless now that my girlfriend's gone? Think again," Cody said with an angry glare.

"What are you talking about," Noah asked, his eyebrow raised.

Cody started his turn, not answering Noah's question, "I play my Overload fusion, letting me fusion summon a Dark type machine monster using monsters from my graveyard. Since I have a Cyber Dragon, as well as a dozen other machines, I remove them all from play to summon my Chimeratech Overdragon. Since I used 13 monsters, it has 13 thousand attack and can attack 13 times. I attack and end this duel."

As Noah's computer logged him out, he said, "Good game. Should have figured you were up to something when you let me destroy all your monsters. But what was up with that comment about you giving up?"

Cody glanced over his shoulder at Noah and coldly said, "I don't know how Emily was eliminated, but I'll do whatever it takes to avenge her and take everyone else down."

The tech geek walked away leaving the know it all to mutter, "This could be a problem."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Alright, I didn't anticipate Cody's personality would do a complete 180 when Emily was eliminated. If he's too reckless, it could ruin everything I've been working toward. That leaves me with two options: Either have Joseph eliminate Cody and set my plan back, potentially ruining it, or move forward with my plan sooner than anticipated. Either option has its risks, the question is, which is less risky?

* * *

Chris walked to the center of the room and said, "And the first round is done! Congratulations to Joseph, Mikey, Megan and Cody! Now for the second round! The matchups will be Joseph vs Megan and Mikey vs Cody! You may have 5 minutes to tweak your decks if you wish."

Mikey hugged his girlfriend and they shared a short kiss. "Good job on making it to the next round," Mikey said with a smile.

Megan smiled back, "It's only because I had the best teacher."

The gamer's cheeks turned a slight red, "Oh stop, I'm not that great at this game."

"Yeah you are. And I'm confident with your instruction, I have a good chance of winning," Megan replied.

Mikey smiled again, "See you in the finals?"

His girlfriend gave him another small kiss and said, "I'll do my best."

Across the room, Noah was sitting next to Joseph. "If you and Cody make it to the finals, watch out. He's got a monster that can easily destroy you in one turn," Noah warned his ally.

"Thanks for the heads up. Though I don't think I'll have that much of a problem. This may surprise you, but I had a hell of a deck back in the day," Joseph cockily replied before adding, "Besides, I have a feeling Mikey will make it to the finals, which will make it all the more satisfying when I beat him. I still haven't forgotten what that traitor Courtney said."

Noah shrugged, "Suit yourself. Can't say I didn't warn you though."

Cody meanwhile stood against the wall, giving a silent glare around the room, trying to figure out how and why Emily was eliminated. Unfortunately for him, his emotions were getting the better of him and making it hard to think about the subject clearly. When the five minute break was up, Chris stood in the center of the room and said, "Alright, time for the next round of the tournament to start! The winners here get to go to the finals!"

* * *

Mikey and Cody were in the middle of a heated match. Mikey had his Flame Wingman on the field while Cody had a Cyber Dragon and another face down monster. "Flame Wingman, take out his face down monster," Mikey declared, destroying the monster and ending his turn.

Cody drew a card and summoned his Chimeratech Overdragon again, though this time with only 8 monsters. As he did so, he said, "You think you're so great don't you? You have all these friends and a girlfriend that loves you. What did Emily and I do? Why do we have to suffer being apart while you get to remain with your girlfriend?"

"Cody, I-," Mikey began to say before he was cut off.

"Whatever you say, it doesn't matter. I swear, you'll know what this feels like, even if I get eliminated. Chimeratech, attack and end this," Cody said, a harsh glare directed at his computer screen.

"I activate Negate Attack, ending your battle phase," Mikey said, somewhat distracted from what Cody just said.

Cody shrugged, "Whatever, have another turn. I'll crush you and make it to the finals either way."

Mikey drew a card and said, "I'll activate Polymerization, fusing my Flame Wingman with the Bubbleman in my hand. Since I have an Elemental Hero and a Water monster, I can summon my Elemental Hero Absolute Zero. And before you think about attacking him, when he leaves the field by any means, all your monsters are destroyed. It's your move."

"A minor distraction. As soon as I draw another monster, I'll destroy you," Cody ruthlessly declared as he ended his turn.

Mikey drew another card and smirked, "I think I've just won. I activate my Mask Change spell card. I can summon a Masked Hero as long as I tribute a Hero monster of the same attribute. So I tribute my Absolute Zero to summon my Masked Hero Acid. Not only does Absolute Zero destroy your monster, but when Acid enters the field, all your spells and traps are destroyed. Now that you're defenseless, I'll attack you directly to end this."

The match ended and Cody immediately got up and started to walk away. "Cody wait," Mikey called out in the hope that the tech geek would stop. Cody stopped walking, but didn't turn around or say anything. "Look, I can't say I understand how you're feeling. But I want to help you. You're my friend and-," Mikey said but he was interrupted.

"I don't have time for whatever lies you're trying to sell me. I know what happened yesterday. Enjoy your victory, while it lasts," Cody said as he walked out the room, leaving Mikey unable to respond.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: I don't know how, but Mikey and Megan are getting split up today. They will know what this feels like, I swear it. As for the others, once I feel like they have made up for wrongfully punishing me, then I'll go easy on them. But until then, I'm going to play hardball.

* * *

In the other semifinal match, currently the game was in Joseph's favor. He had a Lord of Dragons monster alongside a Luster Dragon. Due to a Swords of Revealing Light spell, Megan was forced to play defensively, with a Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise acting as her only line of defense. With only one more crystal beast, she could activate the Crystal Gravity Trap card, allowing her to summon her Rainbow Dragon once more.

Joseph drew a card and said, "All right, I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon my Light and Darkness Dragon. He'll attack your tortoise."

"Alright, with my turn, I'll summon my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger. Now with all 7 crystal beasts somewhere on the field, I can activate my Crystal Gravity," Megan began to say.

"I'm going to activate my Dragon's ability. By giving up 500 attack permanently, I can negate the activation of your trap and destroy it," Joseph cut her off, preventing her from summoning her trump card.

Megan sighed and said, "Alright, go."

Drawing another card, Joseph said, "I'll summon another Luster Dragon and he'll attack your Tiger. And then my Light and Darkness Dragon will attack you to end this match."

The game ended and Megan was locked out of her computer. Before she had a chance to get up, Joseph tapped her on the shoulder and said, "That was a good match. You almost had me there at the end. If I hadn't summoned my Light and Darkness Dragon, you would have won."

"Thanks. You're pretty good at this game," Megan replied.

Joseph chuckled and said, "Yeah, well I may have played it a lot back in the day. Kind of feels good to play it again, for old times' sake. Don't sell yourself short though. You were really good. Did you play this game growing up?"

The nice girl shook her head and replied with a slight smile, "Not really. My brothers asked me to play once or twice but for the most part Mikey taught me everything I know."

"So if he made it to the finals then it'll be even more challenging? That's fine, I like a good challenge," Joseph said, a slight look of determination in his eyes.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Megan: I was so close to winning. Oh well, I should be happy I did as well as I did, all things considered. Now I just have to hope that Mikey can win the final match. While I don't think either of us will be eliminated today, I still can't help but worry that something could go wrong.

* * *

Chris grinned as he stood up from where he was sitting and announced, "And it looks like our final battle of the challenge will be between our remaining rookie males! You two have five minutes to edit your deck and then the final match will start! Whoever wins gets immunity!"

"Sorry I couldn't beat Joseph. I tried my best," Megan said as she sat next to her boyfriend.

"Don't sweat it. Part of me didn't want to face you in the finals because I would want to go easy on you. At least this way I can give it my all without guilt," Mikey shrugged.

Megan lightly hugged the gamer and said, "For the record, Joseph uses Dragons. I don't know if knowing that helps you or not, but I figured I should tell you."

Mikey nodded and said, "All right. It doesn't really matter in the long run. But I do have a plan in case he summons something really powerful. If I can pull it off, I should be able to win. A secret weapon that I can't use until the moment is right, if you will."

"I know you'll do fine no matter what," Megan reassured her boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek.

Joseph meanwhile was in the hallway, and it seemed he was looking for someone. Seeing who he was looking for, waved his arm and said, "Hey Cody! Mind if I ask you something?"

"What do you want," Cody gruffly answered.

"I need your help with something," the overachiever replied.

The tech geek began to walk away and said, "Why should I help you?"

Joseph followed Cody and answered, "But Izzy's nowhere to be seen and you're the only other person who has seen Mikey's deck. I need to know what I'm up against."

Cody stopped walking and turned back to Joseph, an evil look on his face, "Fine, I'll help you. If only because I want Mikey and Megan to feel the way I do."

"Excellent," Joseph grinned.

At the end of the five minutes, Chris said, "Alright, looks like it's about time for the finals. Where's Joseph?"

The overachiever ran into the room, panting, "Sorry I'm late Chris, had to run to the bathroom."

"You're lucky I'm feeling nice and didn't disqualify you. Now get to your computer because the finals are about to start," Chris announced, some enthusiasm in his voice.

* * *

It was partway into the duel and each player had lost a fair bit of their Life Points. One more solid attack would probably be enough to end the duel. Currently Joseph had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field while Mikey had an Elemental Hero Neos monster.

"Well, since you activated your Hero Barrier, I guess I have to end my turn. But you can't outrun the inevitable. I still plan on winning this duel," Joseph said, a slight cockiness evident in his voice.

"Good luck with that. I promised my girlfriend that I'll do anything I can to protect her and keep her in the game," Mikey replied.

Joseph smirked and said in an even tone, "A person is very strong when he wishes to protect someone. I expect you to give this your all."

There was a slight pause before Mikey responded, "Right…Anyways, I'll summon my Elemental Hero Neos Alius and end my turn I guess."

"Well I guess my Blue Eyes will attack your Neos Alius, leaving you with a mere 1000 Life Points left. And I'll play a face down card to end my turn," the overachiever replied, making his move.

Mikey drew a card and gained a determined look in his eyes, "It's over. I activate my Polymerization spell card, allowing me to fuse my Neos with the Rainbow Dragon in my hand to summon Rainbow Neos! He'll attack your Dragon, ending the duel."

"Or so you would think. But I activate my Negate Attack, essentially ending your turn, am I right," Joseph countered.

Sighing, Mikey played a card facedown and nodded. Joseph drew a card before grinning in response, "I activate a polymerization of my own, fusing the Blue Eyes on the field with the two in my hand to summon my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Next I activate my Mountain Field Spell, boosting the attack of my Dragons. I'll attack your Rainbow Neos, destroying it."

"Actually, I activate my Scrap Iron Scarecrow. I can negate one attack of yours each turn, as I can set it again after activating it," the gamer countered.

Shrugging, Joseph responded, "Whatever. I just have to get rid of that trap card and I'll win."

Mikey made his move, drawing a card and saying, "I summon my Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode. But I'm activating my Rainbow Neos' ability and tributing my Avian to return all your monsters to your deck. Or your extra deck in the case of your Blue Eyes. With your field empty, I'll attack to end this game."

With Joseph defeated, the program logged him out and the overachiever got up with a sigh. Making his way to the gamer, he extended his hand for a handshake and said, "Good match. Thought I had it won for awhile there, but you had the better deck it seems."

Accepting the handshake, Mikey replied, "Yours was good as well, I just got lucky by drawing that Scrap Iron Scarecrow when I did. If I hadn't drawn that, you would have won."

Chris walked to the center of the room, clapping his hands, "And with that, Mikey has won the challenge and is immune in tonight's vote. You have an hour to decide who you're voting for."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: While I may not be thrilled that Mikey won immunity, on account of him working with Courtney behind my back and all, I will admit one thing. He had a decent deck and if the circumstances were different, I bet we could have been friends. But alas, that is not the reality we reside in. Now, I know who has to be eliminated tonight, and that is Megan. The question is how?

* * *

Jennifer was wandering the halls, her mind elsewhere at the moment. She had quite the dilemma ahead of her, and that was determining who she was going to vote for in the upcoming elimination. She was friends with pretty much everyone who was still in the game, so it was a difficult choice. 'I could vote for Cody, since he seems to be in emotional pain being away from Emily. I can relate to that. Or I could vote for a someone who might be a big threat, like Joseph or Noah, but they've both been really helpful, especially after Trent was eliminated, even if Noah didn't really show it. And then there's Megan, no. I shouldn't think about that. She's like my best friend that's left. I can't do that to her,' Jennifer thought to herself as she continued walking, not paying attention.

She was jostled from her thoughts when she bumped into someone, knocking both of them to the ground. "Oh sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," the performing artist said as she went to get off the ground.

The other person responded, "It's okay. Izzy sometimes doesn't look where she goes either."

Jennifer turned to the person in question and said, "Oh hi Izzy. I didn't see you after the first round of the challenge ended."

"That's because I went to see what sort of pranks I could pull off on Chef. He and I have had a prank war going on the past couple seasons. What had you so distracted anyways," the crazy redhead replied.

"Just trying to figure out who I'm going to vote for. It's such a tough choice with so few people left," the performing artist replied with a sigh.

Izzy looked her friend in the eyes and said, "You won't vote for me right? I know some people write me off as crazy or whatever, but we're friends right?"

Jennifer was taken aback for a moment over how serious Izzy was being. This was a side to Izzy that she hadn't seen before. After the slightest moment of hesitation, Jennifer replied, "No, I won't vote for you. What kind of friend would I be if I did that?"

"Woo," Izzy cheered as she wrapped Jennifer in a large hug before letting go, "Thanks Jennifer. I'll be honest, I didn't know if anyone wanted me around anymore but thanks to you I know there's someone here that still likes me!"

Before Jennifer could inquire further, Izzy ran off again. "What did she mean by that last part," the performing artist asked to nobody in particular.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Izzy: Izzy knows she can get a little out of control sometimes and that other people don't like it. But at least I've got my friends backing me up. They wouldn't betray me.

Jennifer: I'm honestly curious by what Izzy meant. Sure, she can be a little excessive, but I hardly doubt she means to be that way.

* * *

Mikey was waiting in the cafeteria, thinking to himself. Megan had left a couple of minutes ago to use the restroom, which gave him time to think about his current situation. "There must be something that can be done to put my mind at ease," the gamer muttered under his breath.

"What was that," Megan asked as she sat down next to her boyfriend.

"I can't stop worrying about the elimination. You saw what happened yesterday with Cody and Emily. Someone is probably trying to get rid of any 'alliances' between players. And we're the only couple left, so you're in danger," Mikey stated.

Megan hugged him and said, "Yeah, but how many people would really vote for me? We know Bridgette and Jennifer won't. Izzy's a wild card, Joseph's too nice to do something that backhanded and Noah's kind of indifferent. The only one who we know will vote for me is Cody."

The gamer sighed and said, "Yeah, and that's what worries me. During our duel, he said he would go to any lengths to make us feel like him right now. I'm afraid he'll do something drastic."

"And if he does, then he does. I appreciate you wanting to keep us both in as long as possible, but it's unlikely. One of us will have to be eliminated eventually," Megan reminded him.

Mikey nodded before looking up, "I know. It's just that we just got together that I don't want to be separated yet."

Megan gave him a kiss before nodding, "I feel the same way, but we won't be separated forever, so if it happens, don't worry about it."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I don't want to admit it to Megan, but I'm becoming a wreck. Ever since Geoff was eliminated, I've had trouble sleeping because I've been worrying about the game. It's stupid to get so worked up over such a little thing, but I can't help it.

Megan: It's sweet of Mikey to be so concerned for me, but I was serious when he shouldn't worry about it. As nice as it would be to make it all the way to the finals with him, I have a feeling that we'll be split apart eventually. And if it happens, well at least there's only a week left before the competition ends, so we won't be separated for long.

* * *

Joseph was sitting by himself in the library, reflecting on the day's events. 'I know what has to be done, I just have to figure out how to do it. I already know Cody, in his angst fueled rage, is on my side. The question is how to prevent too many other stray votes from getting tallied up. Unless…' Joseph thought to himself as an idea came to him. Nodding to himself, he got up and said, "Time to make a bold move, one that I doubt will work again after today."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: I said that I would make them feel the way I do, and damn it that's what I'm gonna do. I vote Megan.

Bridgette: Somehow Jennifer, Mikey, Megan and I were able to agree on voting for Noah. I don't know if voting in this group will work or not, but even if it gets us past today, we don't have to worry about it anymore. I know Jennifer didn't want to vote Noah after he helped her earlier, but we managed to convince her that he's probably the biggest threat right now.

Joseph: Okay, time for the most important part of my plan. I will- (static interrupts what Joseph was about to say)

* * *

It was time for the next elimination ceremony and Chris was standing at his podium on the stage. "You should all know how this works by now. 7 passes, 8 of you. Whoever does not get a pass must immediately walk the Hall of Shame and board the Bus of Losers. The first pass goes to Mikey for immunity," Chris said as the gamer got his pass.

Chris looked at the others, almost questioningly before nodding and said, "Joseph, Jennifer, Bridgette, you three get passes as well." As the number of those next to Mikey grew, so did his fears. Bridgette looked over and could see the worry on Mikey's face, and she could tell he was scared.

Chris looked to be in thought for a moment, as if he himself could decide who stayed and who left, before saying, "Cody, Izzy, you two also get passes." Cody gave only the slightest of smirks as he got his pass. Mikey's breath hitched in his throat due to his girlfriend being in the bottom 2.

Chris eyed the last two people in front of him, their reactions oddly similar. While Megan was certainly more nervous than Noah, both seemed to be very accepting of their position. After observing the situation for a moment more (and to let the tension sink in a bit more) Chris cleared his throat and said, "This is the final pass. It goes to…"

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"Noah. Sorry Megan, but you have been eliminated," Chris noted as he handed off the final pass to Noah.

Mikey stood up and exclaimed, "Wait! I'll go instead of her!"

"No can do dude, if someone wins immunity, they are guaranteed to make it through to the next round. Meaning you can't give up your immunity," Chris replied.

Mikey, to put it bluntly, was shell-shocked. He could do little more than stand still, his mouth somewhat agape.

Megan sighed as she got up and walked over to Mikey. "Hey, don't let this get you down. Remember what I was telling you about this happening eventually? Just, promise me you'll do your best and won't give up, alright," Megan said.

Those words finally snapped the gamer out of it and he managed to say, 'Y-yeah, sure."

The nice girl could see that he wasn't fully convinced as she said, "And this is for luck." Without warning, she grabbed the gamer and locked him into a passionate kiss. When the couple separated, she whispered, "I'll be cheering you on the rest of the game. And remember, this isn't goodbye forever."

Mikey replied, "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you too. I'll see you when you win," Megan said as she reluctantly left the auditorium.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Megan: It was a fun run I had. I honestly didn't think I would make the merge, much less the final 8. I'm just glad I got to make so many great friends and get the greatest boyfriend ever. Good luck Mikey, I'll be rooting for you!

* * *

Mikey watched as she left and only when she was gone did he start to get a little misty-eyed. His sadness quickly turned to anger as he clenched a fist and turned around, "I bet you were behind this, right Cody? Couldn't stand having your girlfriend eliminated so you organized my girlfriend's elimination. Or maybe it was you Izzy. Decided to play things a bit differently and instead of physically hurting me, you decided to hurt me emotionally. Well I hope you're happy." Without saying another word, Mikey angrily left the room. Bridgette was the first to go after him, with the others gradually leaving afterwards.

When the room was empty save for Chris, Chef walked out from backstage and said, "Chris, I looked into the lack of votes today. Looks like the footage stopped at some point."

"Was the stupid thing out of tape? Or was there a hardware error," Chris asked, not looking forward to replacing faulty equipment.

"Nah man, it looks like someone manually stopped the recording and then erased some of the footage. Can't tell how much we lost," Chef replied.

Chris turned to look at his co-host and asked, "So what? Somebody stopped the video to manipulate the votes?"

Chef nodded and said, "Looks like it. What are we gonna do?"

"We can't redo the elimination, events have already been influenced far too much. We'll have to just reinforce the camera to prevent this from happening," Chris noted before thinking about who he thought did this.

* * *

Bridgette had exited the auditorium and looked around, before seeing Mikey down the hall, leaning on a locker, resting his head on his arm. She carefully approached, knowing she had to choose her words very carefully. She looked around to see if anyone else was nearby, and she could see Jennifer not far behind her, nodding as if to confirm her intentions. A little farther away was Cody, who was leaning against the wall with a slight smirk on his face. Noah appeared to be talking to Cody. As for Izzy and Joseph, they were nowhere to be seen.

Bridgette took a deep breath and touched the gamer's shoulder, saying, "Mikey? I know you're sad and I just wanted to say, if you want to talk about it, Jennifer and I know exactly how you feel."

"Thanks. But why did she have to go? Better yet, how did she go? I just can't see someone rallying people to vote for her," the gamer noted, his voice slightly wavering. It was quiet for a moment before he slammed his fist into the lockers, exclaiming, "I've tried so hard to keep my friends safe. Making plans, getting temporary alliances together, the whole nine yards. And for what?"

"Now that you mention it, how did she get eliminated? It's not like everyone wanted her gone," Jennifer noted.

"I believe I can answer that," a voice behind the three stated. They turned to see Noah standing in the middle of the hallway, Cody standing against the wall behind him. The know-it-all looked at the four people near him and said, "It's time I told you all something important."

* * *

Chris was still standing on the stage, Chef walking off screen. He moved his arms in a grand fashion and said, "And with that, Megan, our resident 'Average Girl' has been eliminated. How well will Noah's revelation sit with the others? Will Joseph realize that he's at the end of the line before it's too late? Will Mikey take his girlfriend's elimination better than Cody did? Find out the answers to all these questions as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

Votes

Megan (2) – Cody, Joseph

Noah (1) – Bridgette

The rest of the votes were lost due to a "loss of footage"

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff, Emily, Megan

Contestants Remaining: Cody, Noah, Bridgette, Izzy, Mikey, Joseph, Jennifer (7 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

During the initial planning stages (which didn't really end until after the fourth elimination) I wanted Megan to be the one normal person amid all of the more, for lack of a better term, unique ones. And for the most part, I'm kind of satisfied how it turned out. The only thing I would have changed is to try and differentiate her from Emily, as the two were very similar from like the beginning of what I call "Act 2" (Challenge 9-14, approximately) until now. At least at first Emily appeared to be a bit of a fangirl, but that quickly stopped popping up.

On an unrelated note, I had liked Megan's "Nice Girl" label until recently. I realized it sounds way to generic, as you could say the same about Julie (who was an optimistic person). In fact, Chris' ending monologue kind of foreshadows the new "label" Megan is going to have from here on out: The Average Girl. This also lines up better with my initial plan.

* * *

So yeah, about me hoping to get a chapter a month done after the last one dropped. I really don't have an excuse for that. Unless Pokemon X/Y counts as an excuse, in which case I totally have an excuse for the lateness of this. That and while I liked the idea of this challenge at first (which was inspired by the Yu-Gi-Oh club my high school had), I quickly found it was a bore to write. Don't expect any sort of Card Game based anything from me anytime soon. Speaking of the Card Game, I tried to base the decks used by the characters in this chapter on actual decks I had when I used to play this game (which may or may not have been recently). I included descriptions for vital effects where necessary, but if you want to know what a card does, simply Google it. I was real specific about the names for a reason. And looking back, I'm disappointed that I didn't make any real Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged References.

Onto the topic of future chapters, I really hope the next one will be out much sooner. I've been looking forward to writing this next chapter for a long time so it should definitely be out much sooner. Though probably not for at least 2 weeks, as my spring break is next week and to be honest, I don't want to be writing when I can be doing other things like Playing Video Games and Sleeping...I certainly have my priorities figured out. Feel free to leave a review letting me know what you thought and hey, maybe check out one of my other dormant stories. If there's enough interest I might shift my attention back to one of those. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: With the remaining contestants questioning their trust in each other, they have to partake in an old school pastime: The Talent Show!


	21. Chapter 17: The Talented and Talentless

It only took me 2 months to write a new chapter this time! Woo!

Disclaimer: Total Drama's characters belong to their rightful owners. Anything else besides my own characters is also not owned by me.

* * *

Chris was standing in front of the high school yet again. While swinging his arms in wide gestures, he said, "Last time on Total Drama High School! Thanks to a generous sponsorship by Konami, we had a Yu-Gi-Oh card game tournament! While the action itself wasn't very exciting, Mikey managed to take home a win and immunity. But tensions were running high as Cody vowed vengeance against Mikey, upset that Emily was, as he put it, unfairly voted out. Joseph, ever the crafty one, capitalized on this opportunity and with some trickery, was able to eliminate Megan. But then to top it all off, Noah told most of the others that he had some news for them. Now that all the couples are gone, who will everyone be able to trust? Will Noah's plan blow up in his face? Will it all even matter? Find out right now on Total Drama High School!"

* * *

It was quiet on the bus ride to the school. Mikey was still upset over the elimination of the previous day. Cody, while happy over the last elimination, still was looking to avenge Emily's elimination. Bridgette and Jennifer didn't really know what to do, unsure if they could diffuse the situation. Noah was casually reading a book. Joseph and Izzy were getting a little more sleep in anticipation of an eventful challenge. While this is what it seemed to be, the truth is that most were merely acting this way to hide the truth of what happened the day before.

* * *

Yesterday

The know-it-all looked at the four people near him and said, "It's time I told you all something important."

"Something important? Ha, unless you know why Megan was eliminated, it's not important to me," Mikey scoffed.

Noah looked at the gamer and said, "I'll do you one better. I know exactly why Megan, Geoff, Trent and Emily were eliminated."

"All right, you've got my attention," Cody noted from the wall he was leaning on.

Bridgette stammered, "Y-you do?"

Jennifer looked surprised and asked, "How can you know that?"

Noah looked to the side and took a deep breath, figuring out what he was about to say. When he was sure, he turned back to look at the others and said, "You haven't figured it out yet? It's none of you, it can't be me because why would I admit it to you, and Izzy wouldn't be able to organize the eliminations."

"So you're saying that," Mikey began to say, realization dawning on him.

Cody scoffed, "Joseph was behind it? Damn, what he said to me makes way too much sense now."

"But, he's been so nice! I can't see him doing something so sinister," Jennifer exclaimed, not wanting to believe it.

Noah nodded before looking to the side and saying, "His niceness was all an act. I should know he was behind it because I've been in an alliance with him since the very beginning."

Bridgette took a step back and asked, "What?"

Mikey glared at the know-it-all and said, "So why the hell should we trust you?"

Noah raised his hands in defense and said, "Listen, just hear me out. I started the alliance way back on the second day. I was in the bottom 3 on day 1 and I wanted to have a bit of a safety net. Someone on my side, if you will. Fair enough, right? Especially considering I'm not the friendliest guy around."

Cody raised an eyebrow, "Right. So how does that lead to our girlfriends or boyfriends being eliminated?"

"I don't know what exactly caused it, but he took control. He started organizing eliminations strategically in order to get us farther into the game. I went along with it at first, because all I had to do was vote for who he wanted and I was almost guaranteed to get ahead," the know-it-all confessed.

Jennifer hesitantly asked, "Who exactly did you go along with?"

"A couple of early eliminations. William, Ezekiel, Heather, you get the idea. It wasn't until he started splitting up couples that I started to regret working with him. While there were a couple of ways to take him down, I figured the easiest was to basically backstab him. Not necessarily good per se, but the ends justify the means. So I played along as he eliminated the ones you hold dear," Noah admitted.

Bridgette narrowed her eyes and said, "Most of us would understand! You could have told us way earlier and we could have avoided all the hardship we endured."

"You think I don't know that? It was a calculated risk. Joseph said he would keep you around longer if you were emotionally unstable. And seeing how easily he manipulated some of you in the past, trying to get rid of him when there were more people would give him more chances to worm his way out of elimination," Noah retorted, before sighing, "Look, I realize that I could've potentially made a better decision, but I can't change things now. What's done is done. All I know is this is our best, and potentially only, chance of taking Joseph down."

"Okay, say we do get rid of him. What about you? Do you simply start giving it your all and win the entire thing, basically leaving us to do the dirty work of eliminating your only competition," Cody accused.

"Help me take down Joseph today and I won't care if I do lose. I won't roll over and let you destroy me, but I will hold no grudges if next challenge you were all to gang up on me and eliminate me," Noah replied.

"Let's say we go through with this. What exactly do we do," Mikey asked, curious as to how this would end up.

Noah looked at everyone and said, "To be honest? Act normal. Cody, keep looking for vengeance or whatever. Mikey, act depressed. Jennifer and Bridgette, act yourselves I guess. He can't know anything is up. If he senses something is wrong, everything could go up in smoke."

"I don't know," Jennifer admitted, rubbing her arm.

"Look, I admit it, I made some bad decisions this game. But I want to own up and try to fix them. I realize it won't be easy, but I figure this is a good start. All I ask is that you trust me," Noah said, looking at the group around him.

"And you'll let us eliminate you after we eliminate Joseph," Bridgette asked, nervous.

The know-it-all nodded, "Yes. I won't hold it against you. But in all fairness I will try to win and not just give up."

Cody shrugged, "Whatever, I doubt you'll win every challenge from here on out anyways."

Noah looked at the other four around him as he asked, "So we're in agreement? You'll help me?"

"Looking back at when Emily was eliminated, it did seem like Joseph was trying to set up her elimination. I have no reason to think you're trying to trick us. I'm in," Cody noted, nodding his agreement.

Jennifer tapped her chin as she said, "It does make sense how Joseph knew who had voted for Trent if he had arranged it. All right, count me in too."

"I don't really like this, but if you guys think it's the truth, I guess I'll go along with it," Bridgette admitted, rubbing her shoulder.

Mikey looked to the side for a moment before he said, "Ah what the hell, I'm in."

"Perfect. Next time Joseph can be eliminated, we'll strike. I'll see if I can get Izzy in on it as well when it comes time to vote. And again, I'm sorry for this to happen your significant other had to be eliminated and I understand if you're angry at me. I sure as hell am angry at myself for letting him go unchecked," Noah remarked as he began to walk away. The others in the hallway looked at each other as they thought about all that was revealed.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: I don't know what to think to be honest. I mean, it doesn't make sense that Noah would be lying about this. But at the same time, can he really be trusted?

Cody: So if Noah was telling the truth, Joseph was behind everything. Fine by me, I still want vengeance for Emily and damn it, I'm gonna get it.

Bridgette: I'm so conflicted right now. I don't like going behind people's backs to eliminate them, but according to Noah that's what Joseph's done this entire game. I wish Geoff were here right now, he would know what to do.

Mikey: Gotta admit, I have a bit of respect for Noah considering he's taking responsibility for his mistakes. I'm still pissed off that his alliance or whatever is the reason so many of my friends are gone, but at least he's trying to fix his mistakes.

* * *

Present Time

The bus continued on in teenage-angst induced silence until it reached its destination. Upon arriving at the high school, the students disembarked the bus to see Chris waiting for them. "Morning contestants! Ready to find out what your next challenge is," Chris asked the 7 teens in front of him. There were few responses, and those that did merely grunted. Chris raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wow, what happened to you guys? Normally at least a couple of you are cheerful or whatever."

Mikey opened his mouth to answer, only to close it a moment later and shake his head. Bridgette sighed to herself in sadness while Cody rolled his eyes at the two. Jennifer spoke up, "It's been a tense couple of days."

"Whatever. Like it or not, there's a challenge today. And it is based on one of the most fundamental activities high schools have, the Talent Show! The challenge is simple, come up with an act for the second edition of the Total Drama Talent Show. However, since High School's don't make them mandatory, neither am I. In other words, today's challenge is completely optional. The only benefit to submitting an act for the talent show is that you are in the running for immunity. If you are confident with your chances of making it to the next round, then you don't have to do anything. Practice your acts if you're going to participate and be ready in a few hours. Whoever I think had the best act will win immunity," Chris announced. The teens scattered in order to practice their acts, though some people had other plans in mind.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not in a good position in the game right now. Everything is riding on Joseph not winning immunity, which means I've got to try my best to keep him from winning as well. That presents the question, what could I possibly do? I'm not very talented to be honest. This will take some thinking.

Izzy: Do you think Chris will let my show off my fire juggling skills? Picked them up when I had to disguise myself at a carnival once when the RCMP was after me.

* * *

"So you're sure about this? You don't want to try to win immunity," Bridgette asked.

Mikey nodded, leaning his head against the back of the library's chair, and replied, "I'm certain. I don't have any real skills, at least none that would translate well to a talent show. I mean, I'm good at Video Games, but watching someone play video games isn't exactly going to impress Chris. Besides, I'm really out of it since yesterday. Megan getting eliminated and all that, it's hard on me."

The surfer nodded, "I understand that, you know I do. I felt the same way when Geoff was eliminated. Just promise me you won't let your sadness take control of you."

"Wouldn't dream of it. I just need time to get over how unexpectedly she left. Anyways, what are you going to do for the challenge? Can't exactly surf when there's no ocean around," the gamer pointed out.

"I was going to try doing a handstand for an extended period of time again," Bridgette responded.

Mikey raised an eyebrow and said, "Again? You sure you aren't gonna puke like last time?"

"What a classy way to put it," Bridgette replied with a deadpan before shaking her head and adding, "No, I know I'll be fine this time. For starters Heather isn't here and I also won't eat anything unless I know it's safe."

"Fair enough. Well good luck in the challenge later. Of everyone left, I hope you get immunity," the gamer stated with a shrug.

Bridgette cocked her head to the side and asked, "Really? What about Jennifer or Cody?"

Mikey leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling and said, "I guess Jennifer would be my second pick. But I honestly don't know if I can trust everyone else. Sure, we're working against a common enemy, but what happens when they're gone? At least since we've been working together for a while, I know I can trust you."

"Look at it this way, just a few more challenges and you won't have to worry about trust. I'm hoping once this season ends we can put all the drama from this season behind us," Bridgette said with a slight smile.

The gamer smirked and said, "Thanks. Needed someone to talk some sense into me. Anyway, are you going to practice a little bit before the challenge?" Bridgette nodded and started doing a handstand.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: I was serious about not knowing if I can trust everyone else. Ever since Megan was eliminated, I've had trouble being able to come up with a game plan. I'm glad today's challenge is optional, it's exactly what I need to help clear my mind.

Bridgette: As someone who knows how he feels, I can sympathize with Mikey. I just hope he can accept what happened soon. We're so close to the end that one mistake could be what gets us eliminated. And Mikey's been a good friend so I hope he does well.

* * *

Jennifer was sitting in the music room, tuning a guitar that she had found. It was her intention to play a song or two for the talent show, so she had to find an instrument that would fit the bill. She was so focused on making sure that she could find a suitable guitar that she failed to hear the door open. It wasn't until he entered her field of view that Jennifer saw Cody.

"Oh, hi Cody. You almost scared me," Jennifer greeted the other person to enter the room.

Cody looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't followed before he said, "Sorry. Look, I came to ask you something."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow and asked, "About what? You're not going to ask for an alliance or something are you?"

"No. But, what if Joseph wins today? We can't exactly eliminate him if he's immune," the tech geek pointed out.

"Right. What are you getting at," Jennifer asked.

Cody looked over his shoulder again before saying, "Noah told us what we have to do. Eliminate Joseph. But should he be immune, then we should eliminate Noah. He said it himself, he went along with Joseph's plans."

The performing artist looked to the side nervously, "I don't know. I mean, I know what Noah did was wrong, but wouldn't eliminating him make Joseph suspicious?"

"I won't deny that it's possible. Look, I'm just trying to figure out a backup plan if things go south. We all deserve justice for what happened to us, and the way I see it, if I can't get it one way, I'll get it a different way," Cody argued before sighing, "At least think about it, okay? It's not like we have any better options."

Jennifer thought for a moment before saying, "I'll think about it, but I won't promise anything."

"Well, that's better than nothing I suppose. Anyways, good luck in the challenge," Cody said as he began to head out.

"Wait, are you doing anything for the challenge," Jennifer asked.

The tech geek shook his head and said, "Nah, I don't have any real exciting talents. Besides, Noah wanted me to still be all brooding or whatever. I can just act pissed and say I'm not talented."

The performing artist tilted her head to the side slightly, "You mean you're not angry like yesterday? Because you were pretty extreme yesterday."

"No, I'm still upset over what happened. But now that I know how it happened, I can direct my anger at those responsible, instead of simply who I thought was responsible. Anyways, I'll let you get back to what you were doing," Cody said as he left the room, leaving Jennifer to think about what he had said.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: Cody has a point. We'll need a plan if Joseph wins immunity and Noah did have something to do with eliminating Trent and Emily. But at the same time, Noah wants to be the one to take Joseph down and I don't necessarily want to rob him of that opportunity. But if I don't vote for Joseph, and I don't vote for Noah, who would I vote for?

Cody: I hope Jennifer comes to her senses. It's obvious that if Joseph wins immunity, we can't vote for him. So voting for Noah would be the best option. I mean, who else would we vote for, Izzy?

* * *

Noah and Joseph were in the computer lab from the last challenge, working on their acts. "So Noah, what exactly are you going to do," Joseph asked.

Noah was reading a screen as he said, "I'm putting my love of reading to use. I'm going to recite some Shakespeare."

The overachiever raised an eyebrow, "You really think you're gonna win with that act?"

"No, but I have to at least try. I know my place in the game right now. I've got few friends and if the final challenges are more mentally based, I'm a huge threat," the know-it-all replied.

Joseph shook his head and said, "Noah, don't you remember what we agreed upon, way back at the beginning of the game? We would be the final two. Trust me when I say that we can easily make it that far. With so many of our competitors emotionally compromised, all it takes is a little whisper in the ear that someone voted off someone else and we're through to another round. And with so few people left, most of the time I technically won't be lying."

Noah looked over from his screen and asked, "Are you really sure you want to do that? I mean, I want to win as much as everyone else, but don't you feel guilty manipulating these people?"

"I won't lie, the things I've done make me feel guilty. But I'm also a realist. You don't win games like this by pure chance. Nobody took Owen seriously season 1 and Duncan made tough choices during season 2. So yeah, I feel bad, but if I want to win, I have to live with my choices," Joseph lamented.

"But if you feel bad about it, why are you doing it? Why exactly do you want to win," Noah asked.

The overachiever looked over his shoulder at his ally and said, "Aside from winning the prize, I can tell you that I have another reason for having to win. I'm afraid that I can't tell you what that is though. Even if you are my most trusted ally in this competition, we all have secrets that we must keep."

Noah raised an eyebrow and responded, "I guess I understand. So what exactly are you doing for this challenge?"

"That's the question of the day my friend. I could do one of a couple things. Though since I haven't exactly gotten a chance to play an instrument this season, I'm leaning toward that. I was thinking maybe a performance on the drums. While I may be more skilled at guitar and bass, I have a feeling Jennifer will do that, and I don't want to run the risk of repeating an act. Chris will no doubt mark us down for repeating acts," Joseph explained.

"Well, whatever it is you decide to do, good luck," Noah replied, going back to reading the Shakespeare passage he was reading.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Joseph: I really wish Jennifer weren't here for this challenge. If I play guitar, I could probably win this challenge. But I know if she's here, that's what she's going to do, so I'll concede that to her. Besides, I'm confident enough in my drumming ability that I don't mind.

Noah: Dammit, he's making me feel guilty, even if he doesn't know it yet. But it's too late to second guess myself. Everyone else has suffered too much to go back now. So what if he has a reason for what he's doing? If he won't even tell me why he's doing this, I can't keep him around.

* * *

It was several hours after the start of the challenge and the majority of the contestants were backstage. Sitting in the audience was Chris, Mikey and Cody. "So what, you guys aren't taking part," Chris asked the pair of contestants sitting with him.

"No, I'm just really out of it today. With Megan being eliminated yesterday, I'm kind of lost. I need to gather my thoughts and just try to get myself back into it," Mikey said with a sigh.

"I told you you would know what this feels like. You have nobody to blame but yourself," Cody replied, a grin on his face.

Mikey frowned and said, "Alright, you got your revenge or whatever, can you stop being a dick already? I get you're mad but this isn't like you at all dude."

Cody shrugged, "Whatever. Anyways, I don't have any real exciting talents, so that's why I'm not competing."

"Suit yourself dudes," Chris said with a shrug before pulling out a megaphone and saying, "Alright, we're gonna get started with this challenge! Aside from a request from someone to go first, I'm gonna call you all up randomly! So Bridgette, you wanted to go first, come on out here!"

Bridgette walked to the middle of the stage and approached the microphone, "The reason why I wanted to go first is because I'm going to be showing off my talent in the background. Like in season 1, I'm going to be doing a handstand for an extended period of time."

"That's a bold move. Didn't that fail horribly back then, with you puking all over everyone," Chris asked, grinning at the memory.

Bridgette frowned, "Yes, it did back then. But nobody sabotaged me today so I'm confident that it'll go better than last time."

The host shrugged, "Well, whenever you're ready."

Bridgette nodded and walked to the back of the stage, where she started doing her handstand. Chris looked at the list of contestants and asked, "Hey, who do you think should go first?"

"You're asking me? I don't know," Mikey admitted.

Cody shrugged, "How about Joseph?"

"Works for me," the host said before raising his megaphone, "Alright, Joseph, you're up!"

The overachiever walked to the microphone and said, "I'm going to be performing a drum solo. If you'll just give me a minute or two to bring my drums onto the stage, I'll get started." Chris nodded and the overachiever worked to get the drums set up. His complete setup included a bass drum, a pair of snare drums and a couple of cymbals.

Once he was set up, he gave a thumbs up to someone off screen, who started to play some music. Joseph tapped his drum sticks together a couple of times before he started actually playing the drums. It was clear from the moment he started to play the drums that Joseph was getting into it, as his playing and movements increased as the song went on. By the time the end of the song rolled around, Joseph was rocking out, doing some serious headbanging. With one final crash of the cymbals, Joseph was done with his performance.

Mikey and Cody clapped and he waved to show his appreciation before taking his drum set off of the center of the stage. As he was doing this, Chris asked, "So, who should go next?"

Cody quickly spoke up, "How about Noah?"

"Sounds good," Chris said before raising the megaphone, "Hey Noah! You're up next!"

As the trio waited for Joseph to finish cleaning up the stage, Mikey sent an odd glance at Cody.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Mikey: Cody was awfully quick to suggest Noah go next. I wonder what's up with that.

Cody: Knowing Jennifer is our best bet at stopping Joseph, I had an idea. Space out the musical performances and they'll seem a little more unique. Knowing Chris, having 2 songs played in a row would probably bore him.

Joseph: I forgot how much fun it was to play the drums. I've been playing the guitar so much recently that I've been neglecting to play the drums actually.

* * *

Noah walked onto the stage wearing clothes that looked like they originated from the 1600's and holding a fake skull. Approaching the microphone, the know-it-all said, "I'm going to be reciting a famous speech from Shakespeare."

"Finally putting all those books to use eh," Chris asked to Mikey and Cody, as Noah was too far away to hear.

Noah closed his eyes for a moment before raising the arm holding the skull and saying, "_Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that_."

When Noah finished, there was silence before Chris said, "All right, that's all. I'm not scoring you guys and I'm announcing the winner after everyone goes." Noah shrugged and walked off stage, no doubt to change back into his normal clothes.

"All right, now who goes next? Mikey, who should go next," Chris asked.

"You want me to pick," Mikey asked before sighing and saying, "Alright, Jennifer I guess. Knowing Izzy she's going to break something so we might as well have her go last so everything doesn't get messed up."

"Fair enough," Chris nodded, before raising the megaphone, "Jennifer, you're up!"

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Jennifer: All right, time for me to give it my all! If they thought my singing was good, just wait. When I play guitar and sing, I'm told I'm completely incredible, so this should be in the bag.

Noah: I contemplated using the "To be or not to be" soliloquy from Hamlet, but that's the one everyone knows. Or at least, they know the beginning to it. Either way, it seemed cliché, hence why I used the second most famous soliloquy from Hamlet.

* * *

The performing artist walked onto the stage, holding a guitar. She moved a chair near the microphone on the stage and sat down, moving the microphone to where she could talk into it. She double checked the strings to make sure they were playing the right notes and then said, "I'm going to be singing a song and playing my guitar. To be more specific, I'm singing the country version of the Bon Jovi song 'Who Says You Can't Go Home'. I hope you enjoy it." The song started and Jennifer started to play the guitar perfectly, singing all the while.

_I spent twenty years tryin' to get out of this place  
I was looking for something I couldn't replace  
I was running away from the only thing I've ever known_

_And like a blind dog without a bone_  
_I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone_  
_I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold_

_I've been there, done that, I ain't looking back_  
_The seeds I've sown, saving dimes, spending too much time on the telephone_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go home?_  
_There's only one place that call me one of their own_  
_Just a hometown boy, born a rollin' stone_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go back?_  
_Been all around the world and as a matter of fact_  
_There's only one place left I wanna go_  
_Who says you can't go home?_  
_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_I went as far as I could, I tried to find a new face_  
_There isn't one of these lines that I would erase_  
_I left a million miles of memories on that road_  
_And every step I take, I know that I'm not alone_  
_You take the home from the boy, but not the boy from his home_  
_These are my streets, the only life I've ever known,_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go home?_  
_There's only one place that call me one of their own_  
_Just a hometown boy, born a rollin' stone_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go back?_  
_Been all around the world and as a matter of fact_  
_There's only one place left I wanna go_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_  
_Who says you can't go home?_  
_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_I've been there, done that, I ain't looking back_  
_It's been a long, long road, feels like I've never left_  
_That's how the story goes_

_It doesn't matter where you are, doesn't matter where you go_  
_If it's a million miles away or just a mile up the road_  
_Take it in, take it with you when you go_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go back?_  
_Been all around the world and as a matter of fact_  
_There's only one place left I wanna go_  
_Who says you can't go home?_  
_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_  
_Who says you can't go home?_  
_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_  
_Who says you can't go home?_  
_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_  
_Who says you can't go home?_

The song ended and Jennifer breathed a deep sigh of relief; performing always did make her feel more at ease. Mikey and Cody both clapped for her performance while Chris looked like he wanted to.

Raising his megaphone, Chris said, "Thank you Jennifer. Once everyone presents their acts, I'll decide who wins. And speaking of everyone, Izzy, you're the last one up, get out here!"

As Jennifer grabbed her guitar and walked offstage, the crazy redhead bounded up to the microphone. "Would you rather I juggle chainsaws or torches," Izzy innocently asked.

In the audience, Mikey whipped his head around and said, "Go with the chainsaws. Less chance of damage that way. Even if it were on and she dropped it, better than if she dropped something that is on fire."

"I have to agree. Putting Izzy and fire together means a bad day for the rest of us," Cody said, just as unnerved that Izzy would suggest such a thing.

"No worries guys, I may like flashy stuff but I'm not stupid," Chris assured the two before saying into the microphone, "I would rather you juggle the chainsaws. No offense, but I don't want to risk lighting this place on fire if you were to screw up."

"Gotcha, makes total sense. Be right back," Izzy excitedly said as she went backstage to get the chainsaws.

"I'm surprised how well she took that," Cody noted.

Mikey raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you agreed with me. I thought you wanted me to suffer or something."

The tech geek glanced over at the gamer and asked, "Tell me, how do you feel right now?"

"Honestly? Sad and confused. My girlfriend was eliminated yesterday and I can't comprehend why," Mikey answered.

"Then you feel the same way I do. As far as I'm concerned, we're even," Cody noted, turning his attention back to the stage, "Besides, as much as I want vengeance for Emily, I don't want anyone to be injured because of it." Mikey thought about this for a moment before turning his head and sighing.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Cody: Everything I said back there was true. Even if Joseph were gone and we could act how we wanted to, my answer would have been the same. My girlfriend was eliminated somehow and I felt almost betrayed. Now Mikey feels the same way. As I said, we're even now.

* * *

Izzy walked back onto the stage carrying three chainsaws. Behind her, Bridgette's eyes widened slightly in worry, as the surfer was still doing her handstand. Izzy set two of them down and started up one of the chainsaws. As she put it down, she picked up another one and started that one too. The third and final chainsaw followed suit. When all three were on, Izzy started juggling two of them, throwing them higher up as she went. Once they reached their maximum height, Izzy tossed the third one up to her hands with her foot, introducing the third chainsaw to the mix.

Izzy kept this up for about two minutes before she said, "Now to do this with my eyes closed!" The crazy redhead closed her eyes and continued to juggle. Because of this, she was oblivious to the fact that the chainsaws were getting out of alignment. Bridgette noticed this and stopped doing her handstand, running offstage just in time to avoid what happened next.

Since Izzy's eyes were closed, she didn't realize that she would not be able to catch one of the chainsaws. It ended up falling blade-first onto the stage and into the stage, as the blade embedded itself into the stage's floor. The crash that resulted distracted the crazy girl and she dropped the other two, with similar results. Izzy looked around her at the chainsaws lodged in the floor of the stage and then looked into the audience where Chris was sitting. She smiled and then bowed before walking offstage.

Chris looked on at the damages and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering, "Thank goodness this place is being torn down once the season ends. I would not want to pay the bill to fix that."

"So is that it? What happens now," Mikey asked, turning to look at the host.

Chris raised his megaphone and said, "Would all the performers please report to the stage so I can state the results? Thank you."

Cody glanced at the host and asked, "So how tough a decision was this?"

"Oh, it was easy. The winner was the best by a mile," Chris explained, waiting for the 5 performers to appear on stage. Once there, he nodded and said, "All right, I'll be honest with you. This wasn't a hard decision to make. Jennifer wins immunity due to a combination of her singing and guitar skills. Elimination's in a half hour, so don't be late!" From his position on the stage, Noah looked at Cody and Mikey, a knowing expression on his face.

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: Alright, it's time. I don't like what I'm about to do, but it's too late to have second thoughts. Everyone knows the plan. I thought about asking Izzy to help, but I'm afraid she'll let something slip. This isn't going to be easy, but it has to be done.

* * *

After the challenge ended, Joseph found Noah backstage, putting his costume back where he found it. "Noah, glad I was able to find you. Listen, it's time for us to strike," Joseph noted.

Noah looked over, a slightly confused look on his face, "What are you talking about?"

The overachiever smiled, "I'm not surprised you forgot. Remember what Courtney had told me? That she was working with Mikey behind my back? Well now it's time for us to eliminate him. The votes can be swayed in our favor in such a way now that our last threat can be eliminated."

"I see. You want me to get Izzy in on it," the know-it-all asked.

Joseph nodded, "If you could. I'll talk to Cody about it."

Noah turned his attention back to the clothes and said, "You'd better hurry up then. Elimination's going to happen soon."

"I could say the same to you," Joseph remarked as he left.

Noah waited until the door Joseph exited with closed before he said, "I know you're there Izzy, you can come out now."

Izzy dropped down from the ceiling and asked, "Do you really want me to vote for Mikey?"

"What, no questions about me being in an alliance with Joseph," Noah countered.

"Nah, I figured that out a long time ago. It didn't really matter to me," the crazy girl replied.

Noah shook his head before saying, "In any case, no I don't want you to vote for Mikey. I would rather you vote for Joseph."

Izzy tilted her head to the side and asked, "But isn't he your ally? Why would you want me to vote for him?"

"I'm feeling guilty of the things I've done in this alliance. I've already told the others what I've done. And while they may not forgive me anytime soon, eliminating Joseph is a good way to start," the know-it-all explained.

"Then I'll vote for him too! Noah is Izzy's friend and if this will help him, Izzy will do it," Izzy said with a smile.

Noah was silent for a moment before a slight smile appeared on his face, "Thanks Izzy."

* * *

Restroom Confessional

Noah: And now everyone knows what I've done. Izzy was more than willing to help me once I explained the situation. Well, it's now or never. I vote for Joseph.

Joseph: Well Courtney, you tried to set up a counter measure against me, I'll give you that. I'll bet you figured that the friendliest person would be the hardest to eliminate. But when you slipped up and told me about it, you sealed his fate. It was tough to get to this point, but we're here nonetheless. I vote for Mikey.

* * *

The chainsaws had been removed from the stage (though the holes in the floor were still present) and Chris was standing at the podium. "Welcome back to elimination! As you should all know by now, there are 6 passes but 7 of you. The person who does not receive a pass must immediately walk the hall of shame and board the bus of losers. Of course the first pass goes to our immunity winner Jennifer," Chris said as the performing artist claimed her pass.

Chris looked over the contestants and said, "There's no saying who will lose, but Bridgette and Cody are not going home yet." Cody and Bridgette got their passes and stood over by Jennifer. "Four people left. I bet you all wonder who it could be. Well, Noah and Izzy are safe for another day," the host said as the know-it-all and crazy girl got their passes as well, leaving Joseph and Mikey behind.

Joseph raised an eyebrow in curiosity as to being in the bottom two while Mikey sighed in defeat. Chris looked between the two rookies and said, "This is the final pass of the night. It goes to…"

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"Mikey. Joseph, you have been eliminated," Chris said with a nod as the gamer breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really. Well now this is a surprise. If I may ask, how close was the vote," Joseph asked as he stood up.

Chris shook his head and said, "Can't tell you dude. If the others want to tell you, they can. I can't."

"It was a landslide. We all voted for you," a voice from the group of contestants said.

Joseph turned in surprise to see that it was Noah who had said it, surrounded by the others. "Noah, I, I thought we were friends," Joseph said, feigning innocence.

Noah shook his head, "I've already told them everything. The alliance, the eliminations, all of it. I made a mistake aligning myself with you and now I'm trying to make things right. You might not want to be friends with me anymore, and I understand completely, but I couldn't live with myself before."

Joseph's gaze turned darker, "So you betrayed me, is that it? You realize that by doing this, you're done for right? There's no way they'll keep you around after what you confessed to."

"I'm aware of that. And I've told them they can eliminate me, with no hard feelings. This wasn't an easy decision for me to make," Noah replied.

"You're making a mistake Noah. We could have gone all the way to the finals. But because of your guilt, you made the wrong decision. I hope you're happy with yourself, traitor," Joseph stated, a dark look in his eyes before he walked away. It was silent for a moment as Noah looked to the ground, trying to figure out if he made the right call.

"Don't listen to him. You did the right thing," Bridgette stated.

"I guess," the know-it-all muttered.

Mikey mentioned, "For what it's worth, I respect you for having the courage to admit what you did and to try and fix it. I still think it's fair that you be eliminated for all that you've done, but after that, I think we can be on good terms."

"I agree. It takes some balls to do what you did. And while you can't get away scot-free, eliminating you is punishment enough, given the circumstances," Cody said with a nod.

"Look at the bright side, that jerk is gone, so we don't have anything to worry about anymore," Jennifer pointed out.

Noah sighed, "Yeah, I know. I just still feel guilty over what I've done."

"Again, telling us was the right thing. Don't worry about it. I'm sure once this season ends and it all blows over, we'll forgive you," Bridgette said.

Izzy nodded quickly before asking, "It'll be okay Noah. Group Hug?" Noah, Cody and Mikey all awkwardly tried to get out of it, leading the group of teens to share a laugh.

* * *

Bus Confessional

Joseph: The nerve of Noah. And to think that we were going to go all the way to the end and split the prize. Despite all the lies I've told and people I've manipulated, I planned to uphold that agreement I made with him. The fact that Noah outsmarted me to get me eliminated makes me absolutely furious. I can only take comfort in knowing that he's doomed as well. If I had to pick someone left to win, I guess I would go with Izzy. Despite her voting for me as well, she went along with my plans more than a couple of times, so I suppose in a way I'm thankful for her help.

* * *

Chris was still crouching on the stage, examining the holes in the floor left by Izzy's chainsaws. "I'm so glad they're tearing this place down once we're done here," Chris muttered before standing up to begin his outro. Raising his arms, he said, "And in a surprising betrayal by Noah, Joseph has been eliminated! Will Noah still feel guilty for what he's done? Will Cody or Mikey be back to their normal selves? Will one of the girls become a new antagonist? Yeah, that last one isn't likely. Either way, find out the answers to all these questions as well as the most dramatic elimination yet! Next time on Total Drama High School!

* * *

Votes

Joseph (6) – Noah, Bridgette, Cody, Jennifer, Mikey, Izzy

Mikey (1) - Joseph

* * *

Eliminated: Leshawna, Alexander, DJ, Rebecca, William, Ezekiel, Julie, Heather, Trent, Jessie, Danny, Gwen, Courtney, Nicholas, Geoff, Emily, Megan, Joseph

Contestants Remaining: Noah, Bridgette, Cody, Jennifer, Mikey, Izzy (6 Remaining)

* * *

Fun Fact!

Initially, Joseph was going to make the final 4, but as the idea to have Noah work against him developed, I moved his elimination forward to make Noah's plan more believable. Don't worry, that didn't impact any important reveals (like his reasoning for why he did what he did), they're still going to be revealed on schedule. There's still a little more to Joseph's story that you're going to have to wait a little bit longer for.

On a different note, it was kind of fun to write for Joseph, as he's different from the normal TD antagonists. Instead of being nasty (Heather, Scott) or using looks to manipulate girls (Justin, Alejandro), Joseph was much more tactical. He used his brains to outwit his opponents, letting him create plans to manipulate the votes to his advantage. Too bad for all his thinking he neglected to consider every possible situation; he might have been able to see what Noah was doing before it was too late for him.

* * *

So how's that for an eventful chapter? Noah's plan finally came to fruition and the main antagonist is eliminated. And as I noted way at the top of the chapter, this one took much less time to write (something I'm going to try to replicate over the summer, perhaps even a little faster). This chapter might seem on the short side, which is entirely possible as the chapters are going to become gradually smaller as less people remain in the competition. The idea for this challenge was a spur of the moment idea, which led to the mash of ideas presented above. Between another song and Noah reading Shakespeare, this was one of the less original ideas, but I feel like it worked. As for the next chapter, I hope to get it out relatively soon. While no game changing moments occur like this chapter, it'll help set up some stuff for the future. Plus I really like the challenge idea, so there's that. Well that just about wraps this up, leave a review if you would be so kind, check out my other stories that I haven't touched in who knows how long if you haven't yet, and have a nice day. Until Next Time!

* * *

Next Time: Another Sponsored Challenge. The mysterious machine Chris wants to test. These two are connected, but how? And what will that mean for the challenge?


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